Chapter 87: Discard Your Fixed Ideas

Crisis, confusion, fear, and then, the Demon God.

“It is a pleasant day. Is it not, my worshipers—no, my fans.”

The Demon God was so satisfied that he even displayed a ‘gentle’ smile, something he rarely showed.

“Demon God-nim?”

“Sun-woo?”

“Are you… grasping the situation?”

After experiencing Ex’s appearance and the fire breaking out, they thought there was nothing left to be surprised by, but the moment Sun-woo jumped through the panoramic window, that thought was proven wrong.

A human can always be more surprised.

While they hadn’t intervened while the CEO, who was in charge, ran up to talk to him, now that Sun-woo was smiling at the fans, they spoke up.

The fans shouted out their various concerns.

“Demon God-nim, thank you for coming, but why did you come here of all places!”

“This is no time to be smiling. It’s dangerous!”

They were grateful to the Demon God for appearing for them in this moment of crisis, but they were also worried they would all end up being sacrificed together.

At the same time, looking at the relaxed expression of the Demon God, they couldn’t help but hope he had a plan.

“Can a building’s panoramic window even break just by colliding with it? They’re supposed to be incredibly sturdy.”

One fan, a logical ‘T’ type, examined the shards of the broken window even in the midst of this.

As expected, it wasn’t a thickness or strength that should have broken just because a person hit it.

“What on earth is Sun-woo?”

One fan, an emotional ‘F’ type, tightly clasped her hands together.

The situation wasn’t something that could be solved just because one person arrived.

However.

“Perhaps…, since it is the Demon God-nim….”

She found herself uttering such nonsensical hope.

And there was someone who agreed with her monologue.

“Exactly. Since it is the Demon God-nim, perhaps he has some magnificent method.”

“Skeleton Soldier Unnie?”

Yoon A-hyun, the famous ‘undead’ fan.

She placed a hand on the shoulder of the whispering fan and nodded.

“Pantheon’s fan events always deliver surprises, do they not?”

Surely this wasn’t the kind of surprise they meant.

A-hyun was desperately trying to muster courage by forcing a connection.

The eyes of the fans focused on the Demon God.

“Hmph.”

The Demon God laughed softly.

He does not disappoint his worshipers.

An idol does not disappoint his fans.

“Shall I deal with these one by one?”

The Demon God looked up at the stage.

There stood Ex, who had been so shocked by the Demon God’s entrance that he had stopped singing, just like the CEO and the fans.

Ex, whom he had met on Show! Winner.

The Demon God spoke sternly.

“So, who are you?”

“…….”

Since the Demon God tended to forget unimportant things.

The CEO approached the Demon God and whispered.

“Sun-woo. He’s that fellow, uh, remember when we went on Show! Winner?”

“I do not.”

“Really? Then…, where should I start explaining….”

The CEO closed his eyes due to dizziness before trying again.

“The leader of the guys who vomited?”

“Oh.”

Ex was being remembered through a bizarre keyword….

“Shut up! I am not such a being!”

“What nonsense? I remember it clearly because it was quite unpleasant.”

“I told you to shut up! I am, I am—a flame!”

Black smoke billowed intensely from Ex’s body.

Along with it, the Demon God’s smile deepened.

“Truly? Do you intend to try me?”

This question was directed not at Ex, but at the ‘evil spirit’ clinging to him.

It was so.

Ex’s conversation with an invisible being was neither a derangement nor a delusion.

In the Demon God’s eyes, it was clearly visible.

A single evil spirit currently perched on Ex’s back.

– Kieeeee!!!!

The evil spirit sensed it instinctively.

Annihilation.

It could never defeat a being of such high standing.

Since it had entered a situation from which it could not flee, only one method remained.

“Aaaaaah!!”

– Kieeeeeee!!!!

Ex leaped from the stage and charged toward the Demon God.

At that sight, the security guards shouted in unison.

“Be careful! His strength and speed are incredible!”

“You must not collide with him head-on!”

However, the Demon God was also far beyond human.

In terms of level, he naturally surpassed the evil spirit.

BOOM!

Sun-woo and Ex collided.

The Demon God and the evil spirit struck each other head-on.

– Kieeee…

“What do you mean, kieeee.”

The Demon God hoisted the possessed Ex into the air.

“Leader of the vomiters.”

“Gack! Stop calling me that!”

“Look at the direction in which your ‘friend’ was trying to make you jump.”

“?”

Ex opened his eyes.

At the end of the direction he had been running—

“The broken window?”

He could see the outside through the panoramic window the Demon God had entered through.

If he had jumped there, he would have surely fallen to his death.

Ex’s dazed gaze became even more vacant.

“Foolish fellow. Some friend he is.”

The Demon God tore the evil spirit away and dropped Ex to the floor.

– Kieee!

The evil spirit attempted a final act of desperation.

A massive flame, invisible to human eyes.

It transformed into the shape of a claw and flew toward the fans.

Snatch.

The Demon God caught even that flame hand.

“I have no mercy to bestow upon you. Vanish.”

The black smoke scattered into nothingness.

The evil spirit disappeared just like that, unable to exert any power.

“You caused quite a bothersome incident for such a weakling.”

The Demon God casually eliminated the evil spirit and looked down at the floor.

“Groan, urgh, uh—”

Ex was moaning from the shock of the evil spirit being ripped away.

“Hmph.”

The Demon God looked at him, then bent down and whispered.

“You are just like that Hockey Mask fellow. The fact that such an evil spirit clung to you means you already harbored malicious intent. Consider it a blessing that you were caught by me before you could cause a real tragedy.”

He probably couldn’t respond right now.

But once he woke up, my voice would resonate in his head.

“Good, this fellow is done.”

Evil spirit: Finished!

The Demon God interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms upward.

He had dealt with the evil spirit first because he didn’t know what it might do if left unchecked, but the biggest problem in the current situation was something else.

“The flames are rising!”

Fire cannot be extinguished by the Demon God’s spiritual energy or physical strength alone.

Escaping alone would be easy for the Demon God, but that wasn’t why he came here.

Fortunately, thanks to the Origin staff members diligently opening the ventilation windows in the hallway, there was no immediate impact from toxic gases.

When the Demon God stepped off the stage and walked toward the main entrance.

Flicker, flicker.

The flames had now climbed the stairs and entered the hallway.

“Representative, what do humans use to extinguish fire?”

The Demon God asked the CEO, who had followed him out.

“Hmm? You mean fire suppression equipment?”

The CEO explained briefly.

“There are things like this fire extinguisher I brought out, but it’s difficult for a fire this large.”

“The staff tried to use the indoor fire hydrants in the hallway earlier, but they said no water comes out.”

“And finally, there are the sprinklers—”

Sprinklers were structured so that when high heat was detected, a special liquid inside the valve would expand and open the head.

Then, water waiting under high pressure inside the pipes would burst out.

The CEO and the Demon God looked at the hallway ceiling.

Snap!

The sound of a head breaking rang out.

He had hoped, just a little bit—

“No water is coming out.”

“Yeah, seeing as the hydrants don’t work either, I suspect Ex might have raided the disaster prevention room before coming up.”

If the pipes are shut off and the alarm system is disabled in the disaster prevention room, this is what happens.

It explained why water was not coming out of any of the fire-fighting equipment.

“Are you saying it is enough for there to be water inside those?”

“That’s right. But we can’t touch the pipes from here.”

He just needed to provide water without touching the pipes.

The Demon God turned around.

The fans were watching him.

“To extinguish this fire, I require the help of you fans.”

“?”

The fans were bewildered.

What could it be?

Did they need to carry water from the restrooms?

However, the Demon God’s next words were completely unexpected.

“Give me your fan-hearts.”

A small whisper flowed among the reporters who were listening.

“Is he really saying that right now?”

“Is he insane?”

However, the Pantheon fans did not waver.

The situation had become more dangerous,

But because Demon God Sun-woo was standing before them, they felt strangely calm.

The [Aura] of his demonic nature had such an influence.

The fans, who had sincerely and fully accepted his Aura, waited for his next words as calmly as the Demon God.

For his signature question.

“Will you worship me from now on?”

“Yes! we will worship you!”

The fans who had already answered and those answering for the first time shouted in one voice.

“Hmph.”

An intense, focused worship in a moment of crisis.

The Demon God pricked up his ears.

Creeeeeak— crack— The chains wailed with the sound of fractures.

“Then I shall also worship you.”

CLANG!!

Finally, another chain was shattered.

“It took long enough.”

A portion of his sealed power leaked out.

Deeper and blacker than the deepest night,

An ominous and terrifying power surged around the Demon God.

“Hmuuuuuuh—”

The Demon God savored that power and inhaled.

This was it.

His power.

His Authority.

The Demon God turned away from the fans and placed his hand on the wall.

He concentrated his strength into that hand.

A structure that called forth a special influence was formed,

And through his recovered power, he unleashed one of his Authorities.

He concentrated that Authority on the pipes that should be somewhere inside this wall.

On the path where water should be, the path where water must flow.

“It is here.”

The Demon God looked back at everyone.

“I have found it.”

““?””

Origin staff members including the CEO, reporters, various event personnel, and the fans.

No one understood what the Demon God meant.

It was natural.

Because it was a lie.

A lie told because he couldn’t show his Authority too openly.

“It is blocked here.”

The Demon God raised his fist and struck a spot on the wall with great force.

At the same time, he activated his Authority.

In the next moment.

From the sprinklers that had been making only click, click sounds—

SHHHHAAAAAA—

Water poured out vigorously!

“????”

“Water? Water is coming out?”

“What? So the pipes weren’t cut?”

“Th-then? Do the hydrants work too?”

Not only in the hallway, but from the stairs down to the fourth floor, the sprinklers began to activate and pour water.

“Uwaaaah! Thank goodness! We’re saved!”

“Was there really a blockage inside the wall?”

“How could Sun-woo find that?”

“Ah, I think I know what it is!”

A fan came up with a plausible hypothesis.

Following massages and qi treatments, the rumor explaining Sun-woo’s ability was none other than—

“Water veins! He’s an expert at finding water veins!”

“…Eh?”

A theory that felt very much like being tricked.

Even for fans, it was quite bewildering.

“Dowsing for water veins is for finding water flowing underground, why would it find a blockage in the pipes?”

An extremely normal rebuttal followed.

“What nonsense. As that fan said, it is indeed water veins.”

“?!”

The Demon God, who had been in need of a suitable explanation anyway, quickly agreed with those words.

“Discard your fixed ideas. One can find water veins in a wall as well.”

“Pardon? I thought I’d discarded many of them already, but there’s more?”

“It seems some remain. Discard more.”

“Yes, sir.”

The fans cleared their minds.

Let’s discard it.

Let’s discard it all and just call it water veins.

“But! Since quite some time has passed since the fire started, it might be difficult to extinguish it with just the sprinklers.”

“I told you to discard your fixed ideas.”

“Pardon? Again?”

At that moment, a stream of water far exceeding the amount that could normally come out of a sprinkler poured forth.

BANG! The heads burst open, and water sprayed in every direction.

“Excuse me? Can someone give me an answer? Does that much water even come out of a sprinkler?”

“It’s pouring like a waterfall! Does water flow this strongly inside a building?”

It was turning into a flood.

Water poured without limit into the building that had been burning with fire until just now.

Now, the people who were beneath the building were retreating to avoid the water.

“The floor is splashing.”

“The fire must be completely out by now. Not even a spark would be left.”

“No, but…, no matter how much it’s fire-fighting equipment, how can it be to this extent…?”

Everyone was thrown into massive confusion over whether sprinklers were truly such magnificent facilities—

Only the Demon God did not stop his coercion.

“I said discard them. Your fixed ideas.”

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