Chapter 141
The Destroyer frowned, seated upon his throne.
“…”
Incinerating impure lifeforms to purify the world was both his task and his duty. Thus, he had never felt joy in annihilation, nor conversely, displeasure at failing to annihilate.
Until this very moment.
“I don’t feel… good.”
The Destroyer sank into his throne with an unpleasant expression.
The Soldier he controlled had been defeated by a modified Soldier controlled by someone he didn’t even know.
It wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Especially considering the pride he held in his Soldier manipulation skills.
“Laughing God.”
As he uttered the name softly, an illusion materialized beside him.
A being that only the Destroyer could see and hear. It was the Laughing God, trapped within his mind.
“How long will it take to reach that dimension?”
“Is that so?”
The Destroyer’s cold eyes scanned the space map.
“So that’s how it is…”
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72 hours.
People were passing through the gate in a predetermined order.
All of them, as instructed beforehand, were leaving behind most of their belongings. They only carried personal items with sentimental value, such as keepsakes or heirlooms.
Occasionally, strong individuals carried parts of the Champion.
Despite being a desperate escape, abandoning their lifelong homes, the people followed instructions obediently, their expressions not particularly grim.
It was because they had all witnessed it.
The battle of a thousand to one, and the figure of Mason protecting them.
Watching the fight between the Soldier and the Champion, they could truly grasp the existence of the Destroyer that Mason spoke of. If countless monsters like that were marching towards them, escape was the best option.
But despite that, they weren’t afraid because they knew they had a guardian deity by their side.
Mason. Savior Oztalon.
His existence gave people hope.
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And at this moment, Mason lay in bed.
“Ugh…”
A feast was being brought in. Calorie intake was sufficient. Now, all he needed was a bit of rest.
Seo Yeonhee sat by Mason’s bedside.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I think I can get up soon.”
Aside from the damage sustained during the Champion’s operation, the damage from being caught in the Soldier’s self-destruction was significant.
Serious internal and external injuries.
Even with Barbarian’s regenerative abilities, it took time.
Seo Yeonhee wiped Mason’s forehead with a damp cloth.
Mason said with an embarrassed expression.
“You don’t have to do this.”
Due to the rapid regeneration, his whole body was burning up. In a situation where his body temperature wasn’t regulating well, the touch of the cold towel felt good.
“It’s not a fever from being sick, it’s a fever from healing. It’ll go down in 10 minutes at most.”
“Then I can wipe it for 10 minutes.”
Seo Yeonhee quietly smiled and took care of Mason. Mason felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
The Seo Yeonhee he knew always held a dagger in her heart. Even in joy, she never forgot revenge, and in sorrow, she never forgot her former lover.
Always remembering her purpose and her plan, that was the Seo Yeonhee Mason remembered.
Her current, relaxed, and unadorned appearance was incredibly unfamiliar.
Perhaps this was Seo Yeonhee before she was broken.
Before she lost Sebastian.
The Heavenly Demon Seo Yeonhee, unburdened by the weight of the world, was someone who could smile so simply and comfortably…
As Mason closed his eyes and felt Seo Yeonhee’s touch, his body fully regenerated.
As long as he had calories, Barbarian could regenerate quickly.
Mason got up with a light shake.
“Why don’t you rest a bit more?”
“I’m all healed.”
Mason showed off his abs as proof. Just 10 minutes ago, they were mangled, but now, his hard muscles were perfectly regenerated.
“Want to touch them?”
“Really?”
Seo Yeonhee reached out, smiling.
Seo Yeonhee felt Mason’s firm stomach, and Mason felt Seo Yeonhee’s soft hand.
It felt unreal.
That this soft hand could unleash world-shattering martial arts.
“Ah…”
And perhaps Seo Yeonhee, in her own way, felt a similar sense of wonder.
“Hmm hmm.”
Feeling strangely embarrassed, Mason pulled his shirt down.
“Shall we go check on the evacuation situation?”
“Yes.”
The dimensional gate was open in the central plaza of Mars City.
People were being transported through the gate in order, and those waiting for their turn were gathered in the surrounding inns and tea houses.
Those with later numbers were likely waiting in their homes.
Mason and Seo Yeonhee were last in line.
Neither of them were the type to shirk their responsibilities.
Seo Yeonhee looked at the abandoned city blocks with a melancholic expression.
“I never imagined this place would be so quiet.”
“Hmm…”
What was once a bustling marketplace was now an empty city. Because they remembered the days when it was overflowing with people, it felt even more strange now that it was deserted.
Mason and Seo Yeonhee walked through the city, talking about various things.
“You said that in your world, those who follow Jesus’ teachings are called Catholics?”
“Yes. We called our religious leader the Pope, not the Heavenly Demon.”
“Didn’t they clash with existing religions?”
“They did. But for the most part, everyone coexisted.”
Mason gave a wry smile.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean there weren’t fights.”
To be more precise, he should have said that Abrahamic religions had suppressed many other religions with power and force.
But there was no need to go into such details.
“I’m still envious. The name Heavenly Demon sounds too harsh. Pope sounds very dignified.”
“Shall I call you Pope if you’d like?”
“Really?”
Seo Yeonhee looked at Mason with a smiling face.
“Then call me that. Now.”
“Hmm…”
Mason made a subtle expression.
“Why?”
“Well, our Popes are usually old men.”
“I’m old too. I’m well over a hundred and fifty years old.”
“But you look like you’re twenty.”
Seo Yeonhee waved her hand dismissively, not looking displeased.
“Twenty? People would laugh.”
“So what if they laugh? That’s how you look to me.”
Mason said with a smile.
“Anyway, wouldn’t it be better to call you a Saint rather than a Pope?”
“Then call me that.”
“Saint.”
Seo Yeonhee smiled. It was a smile as bright as dawn.
“Call me that again.”
“Okay. Saint.”
Seo Yeonhee stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around Mason’s neck.
She looked up at him and whispered.
“One more time.”
A captivating feminine scent wafted from her breath. Her toned and healthy body, honed by martial arts, brushed against Mason’s steel-like frame.
Seo Yeonhee wore a playful smile, and her hair, tilted upwards, cascaded down, revealing her long, white neck.
Mason kissed Seo Yeonhee’s nape. Within the curtain of her hair, where their soft hairs touched, Mason whispered softly.
“My… Saint.”
As if they couldn’t help it, their lips met. They craved each other like thirsty people and tore off their clothes like those on fire. In an abandoned house, in an empty bed still bearing traces of life, the two leaned against each other.
Entangled, Seo Yeonhee’s dazzling naked body came to rest on top of Mason’s powerful frame.
She leaned down and nibbled on Mason’s earlobe.
Her ample breasts and slender waist brushed against Mason’s broad chest, but all of Mason’s nerves were focused on Seo Yeonhee’s lips.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
In the sweet tension, Seo Yeonhee whispered.
“My… Savior.”
Laying her body on top of Mason’s, she kissed him.
“My beloved… Savior…”
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After the wave of pleasure, a languid comfort seeped into both of them.
The Chinese-style bed was barely big enough for Mason alone, so the two had no choice but to lie down embracing each other.
Perhaps it was for the best.
Because he could savor the feeling of Seo Yeonhee’s warmth rising from beneath her skin.
Seo Yeonhee whispered in Mason’s ear.
“This is my first time sleeping with a man.”
“…But you’re over a hundred years old?”
“I may look like this, but I’m a religious figure.”
“Ah. Right.”
Mason looked at Seo Yeonhee with a worried expression.
“Are you alright?”
“The Heavenly Demon Seo Yeonhee ended today. The prophecy, the duty, it’s all over, so I should be free now, right?”
“That’s true…”
Mason kissed Seo Yeonhee’s hair.
“You’re free. From the Destroyer, from the Heavenly Demon Cult…”
“Thank you. Oztalon. Thanks to you…”
“Mason.”
“Yes?”
“My real name is Mason. Mason Park. Oztalon is a title.”
“Like Heavenly Demon?”
“Yes, like Heavenly Demon. It’s a codename I chose so you wouldn’t confuse me with my other dimensional self.”
Mason spoke quietly.
“So, call me Mason.”
“Is it alright?”
“It’s alright. You won’t confuse me with anyone else.”
“Yes. Mason. My one and only… Husband.”
Seo Yeonhee kissed Mason with a mischievous smile, and the kiss grew deeper.
Their lips parted, and they looked at each other.
“…One more time?”
When Mason asked, Seo Yeonhee nodded with a loving smile.
It was the moment they embraced each other.
“Oztalon.”
Someone appeared, standing by the bed.
As a startled Seo Yeonhee covered herself with the blanket, Mason shielded her.
He knew this person.
“Nodens.”
It was Nodens’ avatar.
Mason frowned.
“You’re not even wearing a communicator, what’s going on?”
“Look at the sky.”
The moment Mason looked at the sky outside the door.
He couldn’t help but be shocked.
From beyond the sky, a giant shadow was reaching out. It was a form he had seen before.
“The Destroyer…”
It was the Destroyer’s army. They had already reached the star system’s trajectory, making them visible to the naked eye.
“How is this possible? It hasn’t even been 24 hours!”
“He accelerated his army.”
Nodens said calmly.
“It seems your victory has provoked him.”
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“Have you had enough of your sweet dreams?”
The Destroyer sneered.
“You pathetic pseudo-humans?”
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Despair blanketed the sky.
An inescapable despair.