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Chapter 89

An urgent gleam flickered across Kim Jae-kyung’s face.

Her ability was precisely mental attack.

Except for her C-rank skills of Submission and Brainwashing, she had no other means of attack.

However, she didn’t consider herself lacking.

Until now, there had been no opponent she couldn’t bring to submission, no one resistant to her brainwashing.

At least not in Dongdaemun.

That’s why she was confident that she could easily make Zeon submit as she entered Sinchon.

But somehow, her skills didn’t work on Zeon.

“Keuk! Submit!”

She unleashed her skill once again.

Zeon simply stared at her, unmoved.

To her surprise, an immense recoil struck her.

“Aagh!”

Kim Jae-kyung clutched her head and screamed in agony.

This was the first time she had encountered an opponent immune to her mental attacks.

As a result, she found herself panicking instead.

Fear filled Kim Jae-kyung’s eyes.

The intimidating gaze of Zeon staring directly at her felt terrifying.

‘I need to get out of here quickly.’

Kim Jae-kyung commanded the customers at the stall.

“Everyone, attack that person.”

In an instant, the expressions of the men changed, and they attacked Zeon.

“Get him!”

“Take him down!”

They weren’t Awakened individuals, yet they attacked Zeon without any fear.

They had already been brainwashed.

The moment they approached Kim Jae-kyung, they were already under her control.

“Tsk!”

Zeon clicked his tongue as he threw a punch.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

There was no need to use his skill.

With three punches, three men fell to the ground.

When Zeon turned around after defeating them, Kim Jae-kyung had already disappeared.

She had used the men as scapegoats and escaped.

“I can’t just let her go.”

Regardless of the reason, she had tried to brainwash him.

Awakened individuals who could manipulate others’ minds were extremely rare.

Given Zeon’s strong mental fortitude, he managed to resist, but if he were even slightly weaker, he would have succumbed to her commands.

In a way, she was a C-rank Awakened who could manipulate minds, making her even more terrifying than a B-rank Awakened in combat.

He couldn’t let her go so easily.

She had to pay for trying to mess with his head.

Zeon lunged in the direction where Kim Jae-kyung had disappeared.

Her escape route was obvious.

‘She’ll probably head towards Dongdaemun.’

Before the great cataclysm, there used to be areas like Jongno or Euljiro between Sinchon and Dongdaemun. But those names no longer existed.

They vanished along with Seoul’s downfall.

Now, there were only desolate slums.

The difference between Sinchon and Dongdaemun was that there was no dominant force here, making it even more underdeveloped and chaotic.

Kim Jae-kyung took advantage of that.

“Heh! No matter how fast you are, you’ll just get lost once you come here.”

On the other hand, she knew the terrain of that place like the back of her palm.

Kim Jae-kyung dashed through the slums at a rapid pace.

In the distance, a tall spire came into view.

It was the church, the landmark of Dongdaemun.

“Almost there.”

A moment of triumph flashed across her face.

Thud!

Someone ahead tripped her.

Kim Jae-kyung tumbled forward at the same speed she had been running.

Rolling several times, she finally hit the wall.

Shaking her head, she struggled to stand up.

“Who the hell…?”

As she looked up to find the culprit, her eyes widened in surprise.

Because the person who had tripped her was none other than Zeon.

“Wh-When did you?”

“You should work on your physical abilities as well. How did you plan to reach Dongdaemun when you’re so slow?”

“Eek!”

Kim Jae-kyung stood up abruptly.

As she looked around anxiously, about to use her skill on the people around her, Zeon acted first.

Whack!

His blow struck Kim Jae-kyung’s abdomen forcefully.

She flew backward without even a chance to scream.

The impact felt like her stomach had been pierced, and Kim Jae-kyung couldn’t get up for a while.

‘Fuck!’

She looked at Zeon, tears pouring down her face.

Zeon didn’t see her as a woman.

Before she was a woman, she was an Awakened.

Zeon knew better than to underestimate an Awakened.

Kim Jae-kyung raised her hand to block Zeon’s approach.

“W-wait, let’s talk.”

“Talk?”

“Why are men so petty? Let’s solve this through conversation.”

“Conversation with someone who tried to brainwash me? That doesn’t seem like a wise choice.”

“I admit I was wrong. I was just too greedy for you. I’ll be honest with you. Join forces with Dongdaemun. It’ll be good for you too.”

“What’s good about it?”

“I’ll acknowledge you as the ruler of Sinchon.”

“I don’t need that. Why bother with such a nuisance…”

“Well then, how about me? I’ll assist you. I’ll do whatever you want.”

In the end, Kim Jae-kyung resorted to her final means.

Any fool could understand what it meant for a woman to say she’d do anything the other person wanted.

At first glance, Kim Jae-kyung seemed innocent, but upon closer inspection, she harbored a peculiar beauty.

Any man would be captivated by her appearance.

Kim Jae-kyung thought Zeon would agree to her proposal. However, his response shattered her into pieces.

“You’re just another fanatic follower of Johan. I don’t need any fanatics around me.”

“Agh!”

Carrying fanatics around will only lead to exhaustion.

Zeon didn’t want to experience that kind of mental fatigue. It was cleaner to end things now by snuffing out her breath.

Fwoosh!

Flames flickered from the fingertips of the Inferno Gauntlet, causing Kim Jae-kyung’s eyes to widen.

“No!”

Zeon swung his fist mercilessly.

Intense flames engulfed Kim Jae-kyung in an instant.

Unable to react, she closed her eyes tightly.

‘This is the end.’

Kwang!

At that moment, a miracle occurred.

Just before the flames engulfed her, someone intervened and blocked them.

The person wore a red hat, a red trench coat, and a mask covering their nose.

A figure with an eerie, gender-ambiguous aura, making it difficult to tell whether they were a man or woman.

Kim Jae-kyung cried out.

“Joshua?”

The one called Joshua embraced Kim Jae-kyung and leaped towards Dongdaemun.

His speed was literally like a lightning strike.

In a moment, he disappeared from Zeon’s sight.

Joshua, the Heretic Inquisitor.

Another sword wielded by Johan.

He was also known by another nickname, Swift Joshua.

His speed was unmatched, even by anyone in Neo Seoul.

“Tsk!”

Zeon clicked his tongue.

He could have followed, but that would mean crossing into Dongdaemun.

That’s when the real war would begin.

“War with fanatics is…”

Even Zeon, brave as he was, hesitated at the thought of war with fanatics.

Once it started, it couldn’t end easily.

To truly end it, he would have to kill everyone loyal to Johan.

The numbers could be countless.

Even assuming only half of Dongdaemun’s population pledged loyalty to Johan, it would still be tens of thousands.

No matter how strong Zeon was, he couldn’t kill them all.

Not because of his lack of ability but because he still retained humanity within him.

“Tsk!”

Zeon clicked his tongue and turned away.

Although he felt regret, this should serve as a sufficient warning to Johan.

If they dared to provoke again, he would deal with it then.

Zeon thought as he walked away.

The journey home wasn’t easy.

—

“Put me down already!”

At Kim Jae-kyung’s words, Joshua stopped and put her down.

She bowed on her waist with her hands on both knees.

“Hah! Hah! I thought I was going to die.”

Her face was flushed, her heart pounding wildly.

Although she was saved from imminent death thanks to Joshua, the sense of danger she had felt earlier was something she had never experienced before.

Even now, recalling the moment made her heart race and made her feel nauseous.

In fact, she fell to the ground and retched for a while.

Joshua watched her in silence.

After some time passed, Kim Jae-kyung finally stood up.

With her sleeves wiping her mouth, she said.

“I’m okay. Thank you! For helping me…”

“It’s a miracle that you’re alive.”

For the first time, Joshua opened his mouth.

Despite his androgynous appearance, his voice was rough and metallic.

Joshua was a man.

Kim Jae-kyung asked.

“Was it too much for you to handle as well?”

Instead of answering, Joshua raised his sleeve. There, half-burnt sleeves were revealed.

Kim Jae-kyung’s eyes widened.

The trench coat Joshua wore was a specially crafted item.

It was a rare item with special defenses against fire and water.

The fact that it was damaged indicated the incredible power of Zeon’s attack.

Joshua said.

“He is at least a B-rank or higher Awakened.”

“So, that’s why my skill didn’t work?”

Although it was only a difference of one rank, their power was as different as heaven and earth.

No one became a higher rank Awakened for no reason. However, rank advancement was never easy.

Some struggled for their entire lives and still made little progress.

Kim Jae-kyung was no exception.

Since awakening, she hadn’t found a reason to risk her life to advance in rank.

That’s why she had been stuck in the same place all this time.

Kim Jae-kyung suppressed her anger, gritting her teeth.

Joshua suddenly turned around.

Where Zeon had been.

He had already left and was nowhere to be seen.

“Your judgment is good.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exceptional skill and cool-headed judgment. He’s not an easy opponent.”

“You too?”

“I was severely shocked when I blocked his attack. I wouldn’t be able to handle it head-on either.”

“That bad?”

“That’s how he probably dealt with the Goran and took over Sinchon. Going to war with him in our current state would surely result in significant losses for us.”

“So what do we do?”

“Persuade Johan.”

“What?”

Kim Jae-kyung looked at Joshua in disbelief.

It was the first time he had shown such weakness.

Joshua was an Heretic Inquisitor.

Literally, he performed the task of dealing with those who didn’t believe in Johan in Dongdaemun.

Having such strong power and a resolute spirit made it possible.

Joshua was the one who had never once regretted his mission.

Kim Jae-kyung couldn’t believe that he would say such words.

“If we can’t persuade Johann, then we must eliminate that man with all our might. He’s not someone we can deal with half-heartedly.”

“Hmm!”

“Whatever choice you make, it’s up to you.”

“Fuck!”

Kim Jae-kyung cursed instead of giving a response.