Chapter 199

Epilogue (1)

Mercadius was fleeing frantically in despair.

How did that happen? It asked itself. It knew the answer, but it didn't want to admit it.

Everything changed three years ago after the war between the Union and the Adgon ended.

Having returned to normal, the System encouraged Awakened beings to hunt Mercadius, and the Union actively responded to such demands of the System.

Since then, it became impossible to count how many of their kind had been hunted and extinguished. Their ability, cognitive control, was no longer as threatening as before. The "Parasite hunters" were necessarily accompanied by a high priest or incarnation-level individuals.

That was the case for the ones who were after him at that moment.

"It's here!"

Mercadius once again teleported long distances. However, the host's Mana was limited. In the end, he failed to leap through space as intended and fell nearby.

It asked itself again.

'How did I end up like this?'

The world was governed by twelve countries having the lands divided, the most powerful of which maintained a military dictatorship. Hiding in that dimension, Mercadius sought to brainwash and plant seeds for key military forces.

The plan was going smoothly. The brainwashed leaders constantly tried to invade other countries, and the Awakened forces concentrated on the Gate were consumed while fighting with their own people.

A typical pattern of destruction.

But that day, all his plans had been ruined.

Swoosh!

Crossing the sky, he looked down. It was chaos under his feet. The military golem he mobilized to stop the "hunters" was swept away by undead troops that emerged from somewhere.

The zombies that took over the place were a powerful army that broke all stereotypes about the undead. All individuals had the same endurance and offensive power as the lower-class devils.

In front of their offensive, even the golem cast in magic metal was torn and pieced apart.

"K-eup!"

Mercadius clenched his teeth and almost completed the teleport spell. And the moment he tried to leap again...

Paht!

A hunter appeared out of thin air. The first to appear was a race covered with golden fur. The moment she appeared, Mercadius felt displeasure that put his nerves on edge.

It was an incarnation. Among them, the one who had received the blessing from the god of war.

Rosuelen, who blocked Mercadius, gave a fierce gaze as she lifted the Holy Sword given by her god. Blazing sword energy enveloped the blade, and she proclaimed in an icy voice.

"You better give up."

Mercadius cried out.

"Nonsense!"

Paht! Paht!

Two people soon appeared behind Rosuelen. A man with a bone cane and a woman with a magical item embedded with seven runestones in her hand.

When Mercadius saw them, he smiled with satisfaction.

Mental manipulation couldn't work against an incarnation. But those two humans didn't seem to be as well-rounded.

He exuded twisted divine power. Sacred power was felt from the two of them as well, but it was weak. Hence, it tried to take control of their minds and attack the incarnation.

But-

"...!"

Mercadius was shocked. His entire body faintly trembled.

There were two reasons why he was so surprised.

For one, mental control didn't work on them, who were less than the incarnate's state.

And the other reason... was that he identified their weak divine power and its attributes of power that he thought was insufficient to resist brainwashing.

The traces left on them were similar to yet different from the power of Mercadius.

"What the hell are you?!"

Mercadius screamed.

The man reached for him, and a prison composed of bones appeared around and restrained his body.

Boo-boom!

When he managed to break free, a gravitational spell grabbed him. At the same time, the bone prison was summoned again.

While the two anchored the parasite, Rosuelen gathered enough strength on the sword.

Whoong!

Her sword energy and the divine power converged on her blade.

Shhhh!

It penetrated the heart of the enemy caught in the air!

"Oh... No! I can't... Not this way...!"

The incarnation's attack didn't end in a flash. The seething divine power distorted the air and tore off the red waves that encroached on the host.

The mental scream rang for a while before finally stopping.

Mercadius had been slain.

"Phew, well done, everyone!"

Nate shouted with a worn-out face. Hibiki sighed, retracting Mana.

Rosuelen, who was chosen by the god of war, also responded by returning the summoned Holy Sword.

"Thank you both for your hard work!"

Rosuelen had a completely different aura from three years ago when she fled to the Grave of Incarnations to escape from the Adgons. At that time, she was an incarnation candidate, but currently, she had become a legitimate one. Though she maintained her cognition and soul as a mortal, a heavy presence flowed out without her realizing it.

She spoke to the two of them.

"That's the third this month."

Nate grumbled.

"I don't know how this many Mercadiuses have been hiding so far."

Hibiki stepped in.

"It's a good thing we're at least chasing them belatedly and getting rid of them one by one. Even the Union have said that they would be spread all over the place and deep-rooted this much."

She looked at Rosuelen again.

"But thanks to you, miss incarnate, we can finish them easily."

Rosuelen shook her head. Of course, she afflicted a decisive blow, but it was impossible without the two people supporting her.

Having received help several times from the skill to reinforce the potential Mana, the two had been recognized as elite warrior-level forces. Therefore, the two of them alone were enough to aid the incarnation.

There was another reason why Rosuelen believed in them.

"As expected... the "god of the Mind" is amazing. I get surprised every time I see it. It would be flabbergasting for Mercadius, too. It's a power similar to them, but different... and they overcome brainwashing only with weak traces."

Nate scratched his cheek.

"Don't call him that when you meet Jin-Wook later. He hates it, saying it's too early to say that, that he's not completely a deity yet."

Rosuelen spoke with a shrug.

"But he already has followers, doesn't he? Like you two."

Jin-Wook, who absorbed all the traces left by the god of mind from the Void, was steadily digesting it, having already exceeded the state of a half-god.

The theologians concluded that Jin-Wook was becoming a new god to replace the mind's existing fallen god.

He emphasized that he wasn't perfect yet, but Nate and Hibiki were already his followers.

They didn't particularly pray or read a scripture, but it was a naturally occurring phenomenon.

Perhaps rather than Seo Jin-Wook as a god, their trusting and dependent emotions on Seo Jin-Wook as a human was assumed to be linked as divine power. Regardless, the essence was to believe in him.

"Honestly, in terms of mental defense, you two must be better than any high priest in any denomination. It's natural, considering the characteristics of the deity."

Nate and Hibiki grinned face to face.

In fact, in terms of divine power, he and Hibiki couldn't be included in the outstanding spectrum. They both thought of someone simultaneously. The man on Earth right at that moment. The most fervent believer in serving Seo Jin-Wook in the universe.

Secretary Kim.

When Seo Jin-Wook's presence intensified, it was Secretary Kim who first awakened to his divine power. It was a part that revealed how much faith he put in Seo Jin-Wook.

All the more, saying that they needed to prepare for the future, he was preparing to establish the god of mind's congregation... They even heard that Jin-Wook was troubled by it.

If implemented without undue difficulty, Secretary Kim would probably play the role of a pope or so.

Rosuelen sneakily asked while looking at their facial expressions.

"By the way, how's he doing these days?"

Rosuelen had repeatedly expressed her desire to meet Seo Jin-Wook again, but the meeting hadn't been made because he had become so busy from the moment he became a half-god.

Hibiki replied.

"He's busy catching Mercadius like us."

She then looked at Nate.

"Actually, we're not in a position to complain. He's hunting across dimensions at a rate that's incomparable to mortals."

The new god was continuing his expedition to clean up the deep-rooted evil of the old god.

"When he has some free time, he stays on Earth, and... A spectacular scene unfolds every time."

Seo Jin-Wook's "invisible halo" or "spiritual flash" was said to be recognizable even by the people across the ocean.

Nate nodded.

"Thanks to him, Genograche was kicked out of the planet. No... To be exact, should I say he was freed?"

He recalled an event from a while ago.

*

- What? Is that... true?

Genograche asked back in disbelief. He and the forest's magic species had fled to Taiwan across the sea to avoid exposure to his divine power.

Seo Jin-Wook, who was talking with him through mental waves, sent an answer of affirmation. From far Korea.

- Yes, you'd better lead the magic species of the forest to the Magic Kingdom.

Seo Jin-Wook calmly explained the reason. His divine power would be stronger in the future, and his home base would remain on Earth.

Therefore, it would be increasingly difficult for the magic species to maintain living on the same planet.

Although they could survive as an overseas refugee, for the time being, his power would someday take over the entire Earth and affect space.

And the other reason was...

- As you must know, the Dimensional Storm has already stopped. And as the different worlds began to reconnect, it became easier to move. All the magic species the System enslaved has been freed. A reverse diaspora event will begin. You'd better join their parade. Add more strength to restore the messed-up Magic Kingdom.

Genograche spoke after a moment of silence.

- But isn't your contract about taking good care of the forest magic species?

Seo Jin-Wook replied.

- We can't take care of them on Earth as it is. Rather, sending them out of the Earth is what's better for them. To do that, I need someone to carry out my contract on my behalf, and I'm asking you to take the role. Even if you cannot be the new contractual party, you can follow my instruction. You understand, right? You'll lead the citizens of the forest. It's something that you've done before, isn't it?

Although it was a contractual agent only by words, Seo Jin-Wook was practically saying that he was offering Genograche freedom.

- Of course, there's one condition.

Genograche said what he had guessed.

- You're telling me to set up the ground for Magic Kingdom to join the Union, too, right?

- Yeah. It may be hard without a unified communication channel right now, but I think the magic species can also be part of the Empire. They will contribute to the diversity that will fatten and enrich the Empire.

- The other races would keep us under watch.

- I've been observing the magic species' behavior. They, too, have evolved and changed their behavior after such a long time in imprisonment. Some are called demons, but others are not. I don't intend to sell any group on a partial basis. So I mean to give you all a chance. I won't cut anyone out from now on.

Genograche hesitated for a moment before replying.

It was more of a confession.

- I... thought that the moment I was captured by the System and my soul was forcibly pulled out and sealed into the sword, I consumed all the luck I was born with.

He brought back terrible memories of the past as he spoke.

- And I resolved that anger... through those who held this sword handle. Then you found me. You, who could not be brainwashed and that I can never control. Then I thought. I already judged that I had hit the bottom of my misery, but it wasn't really the bottom. I thought that it was the terrible misfortune beyond that for you to own me.

After a brief silence...

- But now that I think about it... Meeting you seemed like the best luck I've ever had since I was sealed in a sword.

A few months later, Genograche led the forest's magic species and moved to the Magic Kingdom.