Emergency Escape

A softly glowing white fragment and a black fragment scattering darkness around it.

They were fragments of Lucifer’s halo and horns that had been placed in subspace and forgotten long ago.

Woong!

When Alice stepped forward holding the halo fragment, no barrier appeared.

Though the exact principle was unclear, Lucifer’s halo and horn fragments clearly acted as some kind of entry pass.

“What is that?”

“An entrance ticket.”

“If you had something like that, you should have said so earlier!”

“I didn’t know this was an entrance ticket either.”

Though Kang Changseok grumbled, they all managed to get inside without breaking the barrier.

“Wait a moment.”

Yuseong stood still for a moment, intently staring at the halo and horn fragments in his palm.

The light and darkness flowing from the fragments were gradually becoming deeper.

As he felt the power within the fragments growing stronger like a drained battery recharging, Yuseong activated Eye of Truth.

“This is…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Try activating your mystic eyes.”

Alice tilted her head curiously before activating Eye of Truth and let out a small exclamation.

In Alice’s golden-tinted eyes, she could see streams of black and white energy connected to the halo and horn fragments.

Energy production facilities estimated to be built across China, stone towers transmitting energy, and the two fragments being charged with energy.

After his thoughts reached that point, Yuseong leaped high into the air to look down below.

“…This feels almost too easy that I’m starting to feel bad.”

Streams of light intertwined complexly like a spider web.

And without exception, at every point where the light streams connected, there stood one of the stone towers Olga had mentioned.

Thud!

“Change of plans. I think Alice and I can pinpoint the exact locations of the facilities and stone towers with our abilities.”

The users didn’t ask questions like what he meant or how that was possible.

Time was precious down to each minute and second right now.

For now, they could follow instructions and resolve questions later.

“Original plan scrapped. Me, Olga, and Kang Changseok as one team, Alice and Kasim as another team. The two teams will move across China simultaneously to carry out the destruction operation. Though we have insurance, don’t go in too deep so we can escape quickly if needed.”

“Operation time?”

“30 minutes.”

Though they were able to enter quietly thanks to an unexpected item, someone would realize they had infiltrated once the operation began.

Given Lucifer and the users’ current positions, operating for more than 30 minutes would be dangerous.

“Shall we begin?”

Yuseong took out a sword from subspace.

An ordinary sword with nothing special except for its wide blade.

When he let go, instead of falling to the ground, the sword remained suspended in midair, and Yuseong naturally stepped onto it.

Boom!

The sword carrying Yuseong began flying at a terrifying speed.

Flying sword technique adapted from the Flying Sword Formation stolen from Bruce.

Though slower and less efficient than pseudo-flight using leaps, it allowed for much more stable flight.

Looking back, Yuseong confirmed Olga treading on the swirling snowstorm and Kang Changseok following with black wings fluttering before turning his gaze forward.

After confirming the locations of energy pillars rising from various points across the endless mountain range, Yuseong sent sound transmissions to Olga and Kang Changseok, then began swinging both arms repeatedly to pour out sword energy.

Kaboom!

Like the sky weeping tears of blood, countless red sword energies fell to the ground causing massive explosions.

The ice spears thrown by Olga didn’t explode.

Instead, they froze and shattered everything around their impact points.

Click! Click! Click!

Kang Changseok just snapped his fingers.

Though it seemed like he was just playing around at first glance, each time Kang Changseok snapped his fingers, a stone tower was devoured by shadows and disappeared without a trace.

Though the explanation was long, all of this happened in an instant.

The group crossed the mountain range in less than a minute, leaving not even a blade of grass where they passed.

After crossing who knows how many mountain ranges.

A fairly large city appeared.

‘As expected, it’s here.’

In the center of the city, he could see divinity and magic power swirling like a whirlpool.

At least thousands of people must be captured there, being forced to pray or being tortured.

They had neither the ability nor time to save everyone there, even if it was just a few people.

Having already made up his mind before the operation began, Yuseong used Dimensional Slash to cut through space.

Rumble!

Though a massive sound came from behind, Yuseong paid no attention and increased the speed of his sword flight.

Even at this moment, Lucifer and the users belonging to the Human Alliance must be flying toward them with fire in their eyes to catch them.

There was no time for hesitation.

Yuseong thoroughly destroyed every facility and stone tower that came into view.

Though fighter jets and ability users appeared occasionally trying to stop them, it was futile.

Even Kang Changseok, considered the weakest among users, could destroy a small country if he went all out.

Olga who was stronger than Kang Changseok.

And Yuseong who was far stronger than even Olga, making a total of three people gathered in one place.

Unless Lucifer or another user came, stopping them was impossible.

‘Changwei isn’t showing even his nose.’

Yuseong, who had been spreading out his energy sense, narrowed his eyes when he felt no presence.

He could understand Lucifer and the users being late.

The distance was quite far, and since attacking one by one would just lead to being picked off, it would naturally take time to gather and come together.

But Changwei was different.

Changwei hadn’t even left the border area and was classified as one of the Three Strong.

Though directly stopping them would be difficult, he should at least be able to buy time using his specialties of sorcery or psychic power, yet showed no signs of appearing.

Wondering if he might have gone after Kasim instead, Yuseong contacted him but it was a vain hope.

‘It’s not just this time. Changwei barely did any external activities before too. Then as I expected…’

Swoosh!

Sizzle!

A beam containing massive heat grazed past his face.

Looking at his singed bangs, Yuseong swallowed dryly.

He had barely managed to react thanks to expanding his mystic eye range to maximum in preparation for possible ambushes.

If his mystic eye range had been even slightly smaller, if he had relaxed his guard even a little, his head would have evaporated without a trace by now.

A familiar voice reached Yuseong’s frozen ears.

“To dodge that. Good instincts.”

“…Lucifer.”

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

While conversing with Lucifer, Yuseong rolled his eyes to thoroughly scan the surroundings with Eye of Truth and inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

‘No users. Lucifer’s alone.’

If not just Lucifer but all the other users had come together, he would have had to resign himself to death.

However, with just Lucifer it was different.

Though dangerous as a transcendent who had regained his power, with just one person the chances of safely escaping were high.

After briefly glancing at the cloudless sky, Yuseong looked at Lucifer and said:

“Not sure if you’ve been well either. Feels like just yesterday I beat you half to death and Bruce nearly killed you.”

“…”

Silence descended for a moment.

Despite his smiling face, Lucifer glared with eyes that seemed ready to devour him and opened his mouth.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No way you forgot with such a big hole in your chest. Anyway, it’s amazing.”

“What’s amazing?”

“I couldn’t possibly get along with someone who tried to kill me. Not only becoming comrades, but to think the great Lucifer would submit to a mere human.”

“…We didn’t submit, we formed an alliance.”

“Oh really? Bruce said something similar.”

-Everyone remember the plan?

While irritating Lucifer’s nerves, Yuseong sent sound transmissions to his companions and began moving his sword backward at a very subtle speed.

If they could just stay like this a little longer, everyone could escape safely.

However, Lucifer wasn’t as easy to deal with as Yuseong thought.

“…Strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“You’re too calm for facing a transcendent. Breathing, pulse, heartbeat all within normal range. All three of you. In my experience, there are only two cases like this. Either you’ve completely given up on life, or…”

A cruel smile played at the corners of Lucifer’s mouth.

“…You have some definite way to survive.”

Woong!

Yuseong, who had been running predictions bordering on precognition since encountering Lucifer, moved reflexively without time to think the moment a sword of light formed in Lucifer’s hand.

Crackle!

A blade caught between Yuseong’s fingers and a light sword stopped right in front of Kang Changseok’s throat.

Finally realizing he had nearly died, Kang Changseok turned pale and tried to flee into Shadow World.

However, Lucifer was one step faster.

Flash!

Intense light burst from the halo above Lucifer’s head, sweeping away all nearby shadows.

Blood erupted from Kang Changseok’s mouth and nose as he was forcibly ejected after nearly melting into the shadows.

Lucifer’s attack didn’t end there.

The glowing angel wings transformed into bat-like wings shooting toward Olga while another gray sword in his other hand targeted between Yuseong’s eyebrows.

An overwhelmingly fast speed that prevented proper reaction despite knowing everything through predictions bordering on precognition.

All he could do was turn his head sideways to avoid the attack aimed between his eyebrows.

Slash!

After confirming through Eye of Truth that Olga had blocked the attack, Yuseong threw a punch toward Lucifer’s face.

‘This will miss.’

Just as his fist was about to extend, Yuseong realized through his near-precognitive prediction that this attack would miss and adjusted the trajectory to match the direction Lucifer would dodge.

‘You’ll dodge this too?’

As the attack changed, Lucifer’s movements also changed.

In a split second, Yuseong and Lucifer’s movements changed dozens of times and the future also changed in real-time.

Between the two, the future favored Lucifer.

Yuseong’s fist grazed Lucifer’s cheek by a paper-thin margin.

“…Impressive. Amazing skill.”

Though the attack missed, Lucifer seemed quite surprised as he stared at Yuseong with wide eyes.

Yuseong gritted his teeth.

The internal energy and mental power he had poured into that single strike just now was beyond imagination.

Without some special power at work, even a transcendent couldn’t dodge an attack like that in such a way.

The moment his thoughts reached there, Yuseong pulled up karma and threw a punch filled with the determination to definitely land a hit.

Once again countless changing futures.

This time the future favored Yuseong.

Boom!

“Kuhak?!”

Lucifer, who took the fist to his face, flew backward with an explosive sound.

Barely managing to stop himself, Lucifer made an astonished expression with his hideously crushed face.

“This, this… Don’t tell me you!”

If his suspicion wasn’t wrong, that one must not be allowed to leave alive no matter what.

Lucifer released energy throughout his entire body and launched himself forward.

But from the moment he landed the hit on Lucifer, Yuseong had already retreated and was reaching his hand toward Kang Changseok and Olga.

And just as Yuseong grabbed Kang Changseok and Olga, a giant hand shot out from a spatial gap and pulled the three people upward.