697 Episode 24 Expert (7)

An hour after Cheon Inho fainted, Yoo Jonghyuk went to Las Vegas.

The group that came with him was as follows.

Steel Emperor Lee Hyunsung.

Maritime Admiral Lee Jihye.

Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon.

Doctor Lee Seolhwa.

Beast Tamer Shin Yoosoung.

The five incarnations who have been by his side for the past dozens of rounds.

If you look closely, they were all people with at least one flaw.

Lee Hyunsung was too foolish, and Lee Jihye was too simple. Kim Namwoon was a crazy person, and Lee Seolhwa was often bitter. Shin Yoosoung was weak-hearted.

He repeatedly changed the main members or formed new parties several times.

But in the end, these are the five that remain. They were the only ones who stayed by Yoo Jonghyuk's side until the very end.

"Ugh, this is my first time in America. Has Seolhwa ever been here?"

Lee Seolhwa answered Lee Jihye’s question with a faint smile.

"When I was young."

"Tsk. I know a lot about America. Jihye, are you curious?"

"No."

"I’m nervous because the only time I ever deployed troops was to Iraq."

"Hyunsung, you’re always nervous."

Compared to the previous round, the mood among the group was brighter.

Yoo Jonghyuk found Shin Yoosoung remaining silent alone in the midst of a lively conversation. Although she originally had a dark personality, the shadow that now fell on Shin Yoosoung's face was not just due to her personality.

As Yoo Jonghyuk was about to approach Shin Yoosoung, a voice was heard from behind.

"That’s amazing. Is that the status of the 'Five Heavenly Emperors' who protect the Supreme King?"

Yoo Jonghyuk frowned and thought. Looking back, there was another 'party that came with him'. He just didn't consider them his companions.

"Five Heavenly Emperors? Was there a nickname like that?"

"I attached it."

"Do not pollute the Book of Revelation."

A beautiful woman sighed lightly behind two bickering young men.

Yoo Jonghyuk knew who they were.

Kang Ilhoon, although his tone is harsh, is believed to be the incarnation of an archangel.

Ye Hyunwoo, the de facto leader of the Chungmuro Group and the teammate of Armed Castle Lord Gong Pildu.

Lee Seyeon who possesses strong interpersonal fighting skills and is armed with S-class or higher items.

They were the incarnations who quickly emerged as new powerhouses in this round.

Although he never told anyone, Yoo Jonghyuk knew one thing the three had in common.

'They are past evildoers.'

Their names remained in his memories of the last round that came to mind.

Small villains who were major thieves, betrayed their party, or became looters.

These little villains were proudly leading the incarnations to the forefront of the main scenario this time.

To be exact, it wasn't just them.

"Dansu ahjussi, why are you sighing like that?"

Another man and woman followed behind them.

Yoo Jonghyuk even knew their names.

"As expected, I’m worried about Inho-ssi. I should have stayed too."

Although not as strong as Lee Hyunsung, Kyung Sein is the second-strongest tanker after Lee Hyunsung.

Although his fighting skills are not outstanding, Lee Dansu reminds him of 'Selena Kim', who was the Immortal King in the previous round.

If he remembers well, he also had a minor dispute with these incarnations in a certain round.

'Is it a coincidence? Or not…'

Even if it was a coincidence, there was nothing particularly strange about it.

In the countless rounds of his life, every human being, including Yoo Jonghyuk himself, became a villain at least once.

What Yoo Jonghyuk learned through this was that humans are just empty vessels.

All humans become completely different beings depending on what kind of 'tale' they face and what kind of story they live.

He knows it's true.

However, it was not easy to admit the truth that just one man instigated it.

'Cheon Inho.'

So far, without a single exception, 'Cheon Inho' has been a villain in all rounds. Whether small or large, he became a villain and blocked Yoo Jonghyuk's path.

As if that was his absolute mission.

However, 'Cheon Inho' in this round has not yet become a villain.

Yoo Jonghyuk found that fact very strange.

"What are you thinking about?"

Yoo Mia, who was walking next to him, squeezed his left hand. Yoo Jonghyuk spoke without shaking her hand.

"It is nothing."

"You thought of the man with narrow eyes."

"He is dangerous."

"He looks like that old swindler."

"Right."

"But if you listen to what people say, he seems to be a good swindler."

'Good swindler.'

While Yoo Jonghyuk was surprised that young Yoo Mia knew such an expression, he wondered whether he should correct the contradiction in the expression.

But he couldn't think of anything to retort.

Instead, Yoo Jonghyuk decided to recall the memories of the last round.

What a bad guy he was in the last round and how dangerous it is to trust him...

Redemption of Truth.

One of the three stories he engraved.

This imprint seals some of the memories in exchange for great power.

Although he was a little concerned that this memory had been sealed, Yoo Jonghyuk didn't really care.

In any case, the 'memory' that would be the key to clearing this round was remembered by someone other than him.

"It’s been a long time, King Yoo Jonghyuk."

Across from the casino hotel stood the person whose memories he wanted.

Zarathustra's representative and his old enemy.

"Anna Croft."

While heading to the Washington Dome, Yoo Jonghyuk tried to avoid eye contact with Anna Croft as much as possible.

This is because it was difficult to handle the growing excitement in real time.

He wanted to bring Cheon Inho to prepare for this kind of situation.

But it might be too late to turn back now.

"Prophet. There is a memory I need. Use [past tense]."

"I exhausted all my reps today."

Anna Croft's expression hardened at the message about using the skill.

"Lie Detection, do you not have the minimum level of trust?"

"I’d rather trust a good swindler than trust you."

"Who is the good swindler?"

"Don’t pry into unnecessary things."

"You brought it up first—"

"I’ll tell you in advance, I don’t have much patience in this round."

Instead of answering, Anna Croft glared at him with disapproving eyes.

At that moment, Yu Jonghyuk felt the urge to pull out his spear and hit her on the head.

This was because dozens of past tragedies caused by Anna Croft came to mind all at once.

But he had to endure it.

At least she'll be useful until all the constellations in this world run out.

However, the moment Yoo Jonghyuk checked the local situation, he began to doubt Anna Croft's 'usefulness'.

"Why did the scenario end up like this?"

In only the fifth scenario, the entire Washington Dome was eroded.

The surviving incarnations make up about 5% of the entire population of the dome.

This was something that had never happened in any round before.

"An unexpected situation occurred."

"There’s always something like that."

"I had a plan."

"A plan that cannot be kept is useless. If you cannot come up with a convincing answer, you will die here."

Anna Croft let out a deep sigh at his threat. It was a strangely despondent sigh that he had never seen before in any round.

"Yoo Jonghyuk. Have you ever heard of a group called 'Apostles'?"

Yoo Jonghyuk nodded his head.

"As expected... it looks like they were in Korea too."

Judging by the way she spoke, it seemed that Washington's downfall had something to do with the 'Apostles'.

"Could it be that Korea also failed to kill the disasters?"

"I am in Korea."

"Of course it is. I was just asking just in case."

Yoo Jonghyuk ended the fifth scenario in Korea.

A disaster that was different from his memories appeared and the method of dealing with it was a little different from the previous round, but the scenario itself went smoothly anyway.

"It hasn’t been smooth sailing for us."

"I guess I know roughly what the situation is."

Yoo Jonghyuk also heard something about the 'Apostles'.

Beings who know the 'future' of the world.

"That’s what happens because you rely too much on things like [future sight]. You probably know that there is no such thing as a fixed future."

"The future was written. Until they showed up."

Anna Croft has been clearing the scenarios by reading the future and preparing for it.

However, in this round, the variable 'Apostles' intervened and all her plans went awry.

"If you help me with this matter, I will definitely repay your debt, King."

"I hope you can continue to be useful until the debt is paid."

The moment they entered the portal, the surrounding scenery changed into waves.

Yoo Jonghyuk had his companions wait for a while and then went up to a nearby high-rise building to check the view.

This was not his first time visiting the Washington Dome.

But it was his first time seeing a scene like this.

It seemed as if the entire city was buried in pitch-black ashes.

There was no sight of living incarnations anywhere.

All the high-rise buildings that made up the skyscrapers were in ruins, and the sky was covered with fog that obscured even the light of the stars.

On the roof of the building, black roots reminiscent of a tree growing upside down were sprouting.

Yoo Jonghyuk tore off the root without hesitation.

Then, a roaring black ether poured out between the torn roots.

A 'dark root' that vomits demonic energy.

It was definitely true.

'The Demon Realm.'

He doesn't know what number this demon realm was, but the 'Washington Dome' was invaded by a demon realm.

Yoo Jonghyuk, who landed lightly on the ground, asked Anna.

"Have you secured the parts of the Earth Dragon species?"

"I’m trying."

In order to fight in an invaded demon world, [Purification] work is essential. Otherwise, you will be cursed.

Judging from the extent of the invasion, it was not yet at an irreversible level.

However, if the scenario proceeds like this, leaving Washington alone, the city will truly become part of the 'Demon Realm'.

As time goes by, the Demon Realm will expand and eventually the entire Earth will fall under the Demon King.

That must be prevented at all costs.

“What kind of demon king is it?”

Now, let's go to the seventh scenario, the Washington Dome.

The demon king will not be able to descend in person.

Therefore, there was a high possibility that the owner of this dome was a subordinate of a specific demon king.

"It was the first time I have ever heard this demon king."

"Was it your first time hearing about it?"

Yoo Jonghyuk knew the true names of all the demon kings who ruled the 72 demon worlds.

The same would apply to the prophet in front of him.

Nevertheless, if a demon king with a name they had never heard of appeared, the implications of that fact were clear.

"Christina confirmed—"

A new 'Demon King' has appeared in the Demon Realm in this round.

"They called their master the 'Demon King of Salvation'."