Chapter 479 – Hell’s Gate and Sentinel (1)
Gatekeeper of Hell.
It is one of the nicknames referring to Cerberus.
He literally guards the door to hell.
So that no living human can cross the threshold of hell.
And to prevent the dead from escaping from hell to the world of the living.
But this is a story from Greek and Roman mythology.
Cerberus in reality also guards a huge door, just like in myth.
A huge red door with letters that looked like earthworms crawling on it was tied around with a chain and hung around my neck.
Some say there really is hell, and others say it leads to another dungeon.
But no one knows the answer.
Because no one has ever cornered Cerberus, let alone near that door.
But maybe…, The secret may be revealed today.
And that too in the middle of Korea.
“Hey, look over there!”
After hearing the story from the investigator, I immediately left the meeting and arrived at Gwanghwamun.
And I saw it.
Crrrr… !
Behind Cerberus, howling in a low voice and spraying hostility in all directions.
The gap in the huge door, which is tied with chains, is small but slightly widened.
It is so subtle that even the eyes of a hunter with exceptionally excellent eyesight cannot see it without looking closely.
“Here is the result of a comparative analysis of three hours ago, an hour ago, and now. The difference is so subtle that it is difficult to see with the naked eye…, The door is really opening little by little.”
You can tell even without looking at the photo.
“… It’s really opening up.”
It’s not just the door that’s opening.
A dark red energy is slowly flowing out from beyond.
Colors seen for the first time, sensations felt for the first time.
Ominous, unclean, disturbing, unfortunate.
A magical power that seems to have been created by combining all the negative emotions in the world.
It flows out little by little, eating away the existing magic power and taking its place.
I realize this by looking at it.
“It wasn’t Cerberus.”
The powerful malice I felt while taking a shower was not caused by Cerberus, but by that door.
My sixth sense screams as I see the ominous magic slowly but surely melting into the world.
“… We have to stop it.”
If South Korea disappears from the map, it won’t be because of Cerberus.
The real threat is that door.
I have to do something about that door that I don’t know where it leads to or what it exists for.
“Investigator?”
“Yes, Hunter.”
“Please tell the Prime Minister.”
“What can I say…” ?”
“The situation is urgent, so let’s start first. “When other people come, they ask for guidance.”
“Yes? No, there… !”
Without listening to the panicked investigator, he immediately launched himself and headed towards Cerberus.
I was betrayed by someone I trusted.
“After… “Is this NTR?”
I thought time was on my side, but it wasn’t.
It’s not that he didn’t do anything, it’s that he waited.
May the gates of hell open.
I hope that the magic that pours out from there will cause something else to encroach on the world.
“You’re a very clever mutt.”
Thanks to this, the operation was screwed up from the start.
Originally, the trick was to take some time by observing its movements, but that was no longer possible.
Ominous magic is leaking through the open door.
It is as obvious as fire that the amount pouring out will increase as the gap widens.
“Okay. In fact, nothing much has changed.”
Although we are betrayed by time and our goals change, what we have to do does not change.
Stand firm and use your whole body to clear away the gatekeeper blocking the door.
[Activates the ruler’s area.]
It’s a good condition.
Having something to protect means that you can’t avoid it or rush into it.
This is especially true now that we are planning something through the door.
That means.
Being able to concentrate fully.
I should take advantage of this opportunity and try to land a good shot.
It’s so sad-!
A flash of light appears before your eyes.
Before you know it, the magic power stained with lightning particles does not stay still for a moment and runs wild.
A compression of lightning that can only be achieved by using the ruler’s domain to the extreme.
But it’s easier now.
The reason is none other than the power of the shadow guy that I absorbed with my whole body.
“This is useful here too.”
When lightning was created using the properties of ultramarine blue magic, it became much easier to maintain its shape.
It seems that the sticky viscosity that acts between magic power suppresses the characteristics of lightning.
Perhaps because of this, the color of the bouncing flash is also different from before.
Black with a slight bluish tint.
Black-blue lightning gathers at one point and emits tremendous energy.
“There is still a long way to go.”
It’s already at a level where you can burn a decent amount of people to death in one go.
But the opponent is Cerberus.
A monster with hard leather that cannot even be scratched except by sword steel.
When dealing with such a monster, you have to put in a lot of effort.
Partz tsk tsk… !
Quick!
As the size decreases due to compression, the sound also becomes quieter.
Eventually, an ordinary sphere was completed.
The shape doesn’t matter.
This is nothing more or less than a bomb meant to blow up the entire opponent.
If you look closely, it looks like a play ball that cats and dogs love.
“Well, it’s a play ball.”
I suddenly felt bad.
It’s because it reminds me of Poppy at my old house.
That bastard, he gritted his teeth and ignored the ball I threw.
“… If you look closely, that first head looks a bit like Poppy’s.”
Good.
I decided on you.
Throw the floating sphere in the palm of your hand at him from bottom to top.
“Yeonda, play with it.”
I don’t know if I can play with it.
The lightly thrown sphere flies towards the first head.
「Big Bang.」
A sphere that flies without power causes a huge explosion.
A huge impact, not only enough to engulf a Cerberus the size of a house, but also to pulverize all the surrounding buildings.
Wow!
A loud roar and a storm violently sweep the surroundings.
“Wow… !”
“Kyaak!”
Screams pouring in from the A-class hunters who established a cordon in the distance.
Kukukuku… !
The explosion that turned the surrounding area into powder gradually subsides.
The person who disappeared for a while appears again.
“Hehe, look at this.”
The guy who appeared again had bright red flames wrapped all over his body.
“It blocks this.”
It seems that the flames protected his body from the explosion.
Crrrr… !
His eyes turn to me.
Life pouring out one after another.
The guy lowering his huge body growls and presses his feet.
Kwaang!
The moment a loud noise is heard, the world turns black.
A front paw so huge that it covers even the sky approaches at breakneck speed.
A blow that chills the liver.
「Aegis.」
Hastily deploys the shield and launches the body.
Kwajangchang!
The clear sound of destruction is heard as soon as you leave the place.
Aigis has steadily grown with me.
As my skills improve, the density also increases, and now it has become so hard that even a sword loaded with sword steel cannot break it in one go.
“You’re breaking that thing…”
With one strike from the guy’s front paw, it shattered.
It felt somehow cheap.
You’re lucky to avoid it.
After completing one fierce attack, the guy returned to his original position as quickly as he ran, as if he had a rubber band attached to his back.
“Uhm…”
An expression of the will to protect that door at all costs.
It seems like it would be difficult to get rid of him by any means.
“How…”
While I was thinking for a moment.
Crumbling!
Three heads cry at the same time.
At the same time, an unusual amount of magical power gathers around the mouth.
A bright red flame that I don’t know where it came from comes from the corner of my mouth.
It is a means of defense that perfectly protected the body from my attack just a moment ago.
His strongest attack method to erase his opponent from the world.
Jade Flame, Hell Flame.
High-temperature flames pour down that would be believable even if they were pulled from hell.
The flames fired from three heads at the same time meet in the air and merge into one, becoming even larger and burning the surrounding air.
“Ugh.”
Size, speed, attack power.
A powerful strike that is flawless.
It can never be stopped by an improvised defensive wall.
That was when I quickly judged this and tried to hurriedly run away.
Wedge!
Something flies through the air from behind.
Is it a surprise attack?
No, no.
The object that flew in at breakneck speed ended up on the ground in front of me, not on me.
Kwaang!
The identity of the thing buried deep in the ground and half revealed is none other than a shield.
A shield of a familiar shape that I have seen before comes out and blocks the flames.
“Endure Shield.”
The moment a familiar voice is heard, brown magical energy erupts from the shield stuck on the floor, forming a huge shield.
The shield and flames eventually met.
Quarrrr!
A shield that fights against flames that threaten to melt everything it touches.
I even felt a sense of duty that I would never be breached.
Purr!
After the flames that had enveloped the surrounding area disappeared.
Angela, fully armored in silver armor, effortlessly grabs the shield embedded in the ground.
And then, with her hand holding her ugly mace, she waves her hand in this direction as if she is happy.
“It’s been a while!”
“Oh, yes.”
“Thank you for including me in such a fun fight!”
“Mom…”
Seeing him smiling cheerfully, he looks really happy.
“Wouldn’t it be awesome to make armor out of that leather?!”
It doesn’t seem like he enjoys the battle itself.
Those who participated in the operation can naturally claim the rights to by-products from Cerberus.
“If you just sharpen those teeth, a sword will come out… !”
He seems excited about making equipment using the leather and teeth he received.
Angela looks around Cerberus with eyes filled with flashing light.
Then, she twirls the mace in her hand, showing strong motivation.
“Okay, let’s finish it all at once?!”
Soaring new type.
“So that… !”
Even in her heavy armor, she flies high enough to be seen as a dot and then falls.
Exactly in a straight line towards Cerberus’ head.
Grumble!
The guy who saw this hurriedly spits out fire, but it is no use.
That woman is the toughest person I’ve ever seen.
Even her flames cut through her, and she fell, leaving a long afterimage trail like a shooting star, and continued her words as she hit the mace on her head.
“Because the leather is less damaged… !”
Quaaaaang!
With a huge impact sound, Cerberus’ massive body collapses.
Kkeggang… !
A painful cry is heard next.
Twisting, twiddling… !
Lick, lick!
While the heads on both sides are in pain, it looks at the head and doesn’t know what to do, sticking out its long tongue and repeatedly licking the area where it was hit.
Is this their own way of caring for each other?
Angela stands before him, extinguishing with her hand the flame still burning at the ends of her hair.
Looking at her like that, I think about her for a moment.
“That’s a tank, that’s a person…”
Cerberus, who had been so majestic just a moment ago, suddenly began to look pitiful.
