Chapter 9 : Polarization (2)

“Found you.”

The red crystals shining beneath Seo-hyun’s feet bristled like a hedgehog.

A blade, slicing through the darkness, struck the uneven surface, emitting a clear ringing sound as it was deflected.

Following closely behind, a sword, aimed to cleave his head, was blocked by his forearm, clad in a crystal gauntlet.

Despite the difference in size, Seo-hyun’s small body didn’t budge.

The crystals on his forearm began to expand as if alive, encasing the blade of the sword.

As if sensing something amiss, the light emanating from the sword’s hilt and blade intensified.

However, the crimson crystals greedily devoured even that light.

“Uwaaaaaah!!”

Seo-hyun looked up at the screaming figure.

Blue veins crisscrossed his face, his eyes bloodshot.

In those eyes, there was no trace of the intelligence from before.

His gaze wasn’t focused on Seo-hyun.

He stared only at his sword, screaming in frustration.

‘It can’t be helped.’

If he won’t see, then Seo-hyun would have to make him.

Releasing some of the crystal’s restrictions, he shook the man’s mind.

*Clang*

The sword fell to the floor.

Seo-hyun then flooded his mind with a cosmic horror, far exceeding the control he was under.

Within his mind, he reverted all the corrupted universe to its former state.

He erased the memories of the strange light emanating from the sword, purifying his invaded soul.

“Gaaaack!!”

“Quiet.”

As the man collapsed, eyes rolled back, drooling, foaming at the mouth, and wetting himself, Seo-hyun sealed his mouth with a crystal.

With the situation under control, he examined the sword now silently encased in crystal.

Perfectly sealed, it no longer emitted any light.

As expected, this wasn’t a normal object.

To drive its owner to such a state just for trying to understand it.

Permanent damage that even Seo-hyun himself might not have been able to reverse.

‘It’s not too far from here.’

Seo-hyun estimated the distance to the high school where the gate was located.

Sitting here and pondering wouldn’t get him anywhere.

He needed to go to the gate’s location to find a fundamental solution.

He preferred not to teleport, wanting to experience human emotions with his own two feet, but he needed to resolve this quickly before the culprit behind this hid.

Seo-hyun levitated the crystal-encased sword.

A dark, blood-red crystal floating in the air was a strange sight to anyone, but to him, it looked rather cute and admirable.

Midway through the teleportation spell, he turned around.

There lay the young man, foaming at the mouth, a pitiful sight.

“Hmm…”

Seo-hyun paused, contemplating whether to take him along.

This could unravel the young man’s values and everything he’d built up, making the decision even more difficult.

As his thoughts and anguish deepened, a fragment of his true self, leaking out like black mist from the corners of his mind, spoke to him.

The sweet, serpentine thoughts coiled around his mind, compelling his thoughts.

What it spoke of were the countless acts she had committed as a god.

Revealing the pure truth to humans on the brink of ruin, offering them a choice. What they chose was their freedom.

But… what about himself, as a human? Did he agree?

Was it right, as a person, to push someone into the abyss of truth, a truth they didn’t need to know, and watch their descent into ruin?

…He didn’t know. He didn’t even know if such anguish was appropriate for a human.

‘…I should take him.’

After a moment’s thought, he decided to take him along.

It seemed like he would wake up soon anyway.

Above all, though unsure of other things, Seo-hyun agreed that humans should walk their own path.

He would have to think about what would happen after that.

#

Evening began to descend, casting long shadows.

A black, ominous mist snaked through the cool air of the residential area, over fences, across streams, scaling buildings, creeping along the ground, one with the darkness.

In a corner of Yeeul High School’s field, the jet-black mist coalesced into two figures, melting into the earth.

Landing on solid ground, Seo-hyun dragged the unconscious Kim Ha-neul by the arm towards a storage shed in the corner of the field.

He could now clearly sense the spatial rift, pulsating from within the concealed shed.

*Click*

Seo-hyun reached the shed door and grasped the handle.

Puzzled that it wasn’t locked, he pulled it open.

The metal shed door creaked open, and Seo-hyun stared into the darkness within.

A face materialized in the shadows.

A body in a security guard uniform.

A human form, but without a human presence.

It opened its mouth and spoke, devoid of inflection.

“[Intruder alert. Eliminate.]”

Like throwing a dart at a target, Seo-hyun shot a crystal at the guard’s head.

A faint something flowed out of the fallen guard’s head, scurrying away into the darkness.

Dragging the guard outside and performing first aid to accelerate his recovery, Seo-hyun felt a wave of disgust.

Completely destroying someone’s mind and turning them into a puppet was truly vile.

Crude, vulgar, and not at all elegant.

However, this act gave him a clue about their goals.

They weren’t content with their world and wanted to cross over to this one.

That’s why they were trying to conceal this place.

Seo-hyun’s eyes scanned the veil within the shed, analyzing it.

Then, his slender hand reached out, grasping at empty air, and ripped it open.

The darkness concealing the interior was torn away, revealing the gate.

A beautifully shining golden frame, and beyond it, an unknown space unfolded.

Seo-hyun’s eyes sparkled at the sight of something he’d never seen before.

But only for a moment.

After moving around and analyzing the gate, his face crumpled in disappointment.

“What in the world is this?”

This wasn’t created by some transcendental being.

It was simply a crack in space, decorated with a plausible facade.

Like framing a child’s drawing as a keepsake.

Like the vain indulging in luxuries beyond their means.

A mere decorative deception.

Having only seen gates in photos, Seo-hyun’s expectations had been sky-high.

And the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

As if venting his frustration, he plunged his hand into the gate, moving it around to gauge its safety.

Dimensional particle distribution… stable.

Structural analysis… stable.

…

When he concluded it was safe to enter, he heard Ha-neul’s voice behind him.

“Ugh… Where am I…?”

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Turning around, he saw Kim Ha-neul pushing himself up, his eyes blurry.

Seo-hyun spoke to him casually, and Ha-neul’s eyes gradually focused, looking up at him.

“Han Seo-hyun? Why are you here…? Wait, I was at home…?”

Seo-hyun pointed to the crystal beside him and kindly explained.

“That sword you had was a monster. It was controlling your mind, and I had a bit of a struggle.”

Ha-neul’s eyes trembled as he looked up at the sword trapped within the crystal.

Then, as if in disbelief, he shouted at Seo-hyun.

“That’s impossible! That’s the holy sword the Goddess gave me!”

“Then that so-called Goddess is the same. Why don’t you take a look around?”

Seo-hyun hadn’t expected him to believe him right away.

Ha-neul’s expression hardened at Seo-hyun’s indifferent tone.

His sharp eyes scanned their surroundings, trying to figure something out.

The holy sword, trapped in crystal, devoid of light.

The sacred relic containing the power of the Goddess, his companion, who had defeated the Demon King.

The storage shed of Yeeul High School, where he’d been three years ago, the place from which he’d been swept away to, and returned from, the fantasy world of Sekradon.

And within it, behind Seo-hyun, the shining gate.

As if he’d come to a decision, Ha-neul gulped and spoke.

“Release the sword. I need to check it myself.”

At Ha-neul’s resolve, Seo-hyun smiled, seemingly satisfied. Now that Ha-neul had chosen to see the truth, Seo-hyun would push him with all his might.

“No need. We can go meet this ‘Goddess’ of yours directly.”

“What? Huh? Wha…”

Seo-hyun, who had moved behind Ha-neul, kicked him squarely towards the gate.

With a scream, Ha-neul disappeared beyond the gate.

Seo-hyun slowly followed, stepping into the gate.

His eyes sparkled as he entered, filled with the certainty that things would go well, and with a childlike innocence.