Chapter 87: Hell Gate
Chapter 87: Hell Gate
Long chapter is long.
Holy Angel Lena.
A bright, gentle, and benevolent woman. A kind woman who suited the word ‘angel’ more than anyone else.
She opened the Hell Gate.
Because of that, countless monsters entered Endymion.
But rather than that fact, Cordelia was troubled by something else.
Her eyes widely opened, and she approached Lena.
“Lena!”
Lena’s face wasn’t the one that Cordelia knew.
It was also different from her dying face in the cinematic movie.
Her hair was still blonde, but her white skin was now a pale purple.
She now had red and black eyes instead of her clear blue eyes. The white sclera in her eyes were now completely black, and her red eyes had slit pupils like that of a serpent’s eyes.
What had happened?
Lena was originally a holy angel.
She was an angel of this world, someone who gained the power of an angel through Ancestral Regression.
“Don’t come too close. You can’t come close.”
Lena hurriedly retreated to avoid Cordelia’s hand.
The teary-faced Cordelia turned to Jude.
Cordelia didn’t know why Lena became like this now, but she at least knew what Lena’s condition was.
‘Demon Syndrome.’
A disease that ate away a creature’s body when exposed to the aura of hell.
Most humans immediately died the moment they were exposed to the aura of hell, but some people who were mentally and physically strong ended up having Demon Syndrome.
The effect of Demon Syndrome was simple.
The afflicted creature becomes a demon.
They usually became lower-ranking demons with almost no intellectual capacities, but those who had well-trained bodies and truly noble and strong minds became demons with intellectual capacities.
And now, Lena had Demon Syndrome.
Through that, Jude was able to come up with a more complete answer.
“You escaped from hell. And in the process, the Hell Gate opened.”
Lena slowly nodded.
“I was dragged to hell when I was fighting demons in the Argon Empire. I struggled and fought many times there and was able to barely escape at the end…but in the aftermath, the Hell Gate opened.”
Lena had a very distressed look.
She thought of the tragedy of Paragon and of all her loved ones whom she lost, including her master who she considered as her father.
However, she had opened the Hell Gate with her own hands, which might once again lead to something similar to the tragedy of Paragon.
She couldn’t bear it.
She had to solve this problem even at the expense of her own life.
‘She couldn’t properly use the angel’s power because of the Demon Syndrome. But just before she died, she recovered from the Demon Syndrome because she completely used up her angel powers.’
It made sense.
Lena sacrificed herself to close the Hell Gate and then died a lonely death.
“I have to close the Hell Gate. I’ll do anything to close it.”
Lena said in an earnest tone.
Her expression and voice seemed like she was confessing her fault.
“It’s not Lena’s fault.”
Cordelia said.
But Lena shook her head.
“No, it’s my fault…”
“No. Definitely no. You didn’t open the gate on purpose. You’re a good person, and you’re still trying to somehow close the Hell Gate. That’s right. So don’t look so distressed. Jude and I will help you. We’ll close the gate together and go back happy and laughing.”
Cordelia poured out her thoughts as she held Lena’s hand and then smiled.
Her words might not have presented a solution to their problem, but Lena smiled after hearing Cordelia.
It started awkwardly, but for the first time since the Hell Gate opened, Lena had a proper smile.
And that made Cordelia smile even more.
With a broad smile, she said as she hugged Lena.
“We can do it. My Jude is excellent. Jude will somehow find a solution. Isn’t that right?”
This time again, her words offered no solutions.
But at her words full of strong faith in him, Jude nodded his head.
“We can do it. So let’s check the situation first. Lena, do you have a way to replenish your powers?”
Jude began to lead the conversation.
Lena looked back at Cordelia and Jude instead of replying immediately, and soon, she smiled again.
‘It’s like I’m with Landius.’
A person who was absurdly optimistic and reliable that could make one feel at ease anytime and anywhere.
“I’m thinking of using Endymion’s Grand Magic Circle.”
Lena moved her hand in the air and used magic.
After a full map of Endymion appeared in the air, a complex figure made of white light was drawn over the map.
“The ancient High Elves bet on everything for their final decisive battle against the Demon Prince in Endymion…and as a result, the entire capital became a weapon itself.”
After absorbing the mana of all the citizens living in the capital at once, the magic circle was activated to inject the concentrated and amplified power into one person who would fight against the Demon Prince.
“I discovered that there’s still a lot of mana stored in Endymion. If we activate the magic circle…we can somehow gather the mana necessary to use the Heavenly Seal.”
It was a plausible solution.
But Jude thought of a problem in her solution, while Cordelia instinctively realized it.
‘The method Lena used in the original.’
That one and only method led to Lena’s death in the end.
But she didn’t die because of that method alone.
Something must have changed and brought her harm.
“Wait, if you use this magic circle, shouldn’t an angel be the target of the gathered mana?”
At that moment, Kaplan, whose presence was almost forgotten together with Bellagio, spoke as he looked at the full map in the air.
As a professor in archeology at the institutional academy, he was familiar with ancient languages.
“That….”
Lena hesitated for a moment as if she had been stabbed in her sore spot before she slowly said again.
“Yes, in order to use that magic, one must have the genes of an angel. Though I am afflicted with Demon Syndrome…I haven’t lost my angel’s genes. That is why I’m sure that I can do it.”
Lena said that with a smile, but Jude and Cordelia were not fooled.
It was this.
It was the reason why Lena lost her life.
Lena was not a real angel right now because of her Demon Syndrome. So Lena was greatly hit and suffered from the concentrated sacred power.
So they had to change her plan.
And the two had another solution.
‘I’ll do it.’
Cordelia said to Jude with her eyes.
Although she had not yet used Ancestral Regression, Cordelia had the genes of an angel.
She fought against the demons with the witch’s power, but she wouldn’t be dealt a huge blow by the sacred power if she was not transformed into a witch.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Definitely.’
Cordelia’s eyes seemed to be on fire.
Therefore, Jude conceded.
It was impossible to stop the current Cordelia.
Jude wanted to avoid Cordelia’s plan, but she was correct.
The best solution was for Cordelia to replace Lena.
“Let’s do it.”
“Leave it to me.”
After she charmingly smiled, Cordelia straight away began to explain about herself to Lena, while Jude turned to Kaplan.
“Will you help us, Sir Kaplan?”
“Me?”
“Yes, we need Sir Kaplan’s help in activating the magic circle. Someone has to manipulate the console in order to operate the magic circle.”
This was Jude’s first time in Endymion, but not the first in Magellan, the magic kingdom of the High Elves. He had already encountered a similar kind of magic circle somewhere in the ruins of Magellan.
‘The reason why it took so long for Lena was because she did everything herself.’
But not now. If Kaplan was here, it would be possible to easily operate the console which used the ancient language of the High Elves.
“I’m glad that Sir Kaplan is here.”
Kaplan flinched at Jude’s words, but he soon nodded and widely smiled.
“Leave it to me. I’ve seen something similar in my research.”
“Yes, I believe in you.”
After tapping Kaplan on his shoulder, Jude advanced towards Cordelia and Lena.
Lena was a little surprised at Cordelia’s explanation, but instead of being doubtful, she looked apologetic.
“The burden will be great.”
“It’s okay. Even if I look like this, I’m very strong.”
Cordelia grinned and thumped her chest before she turned to Jude.
“Jude, when we activate the magic circle, the demons will notice. So we need to turn their gaze somewhere…why is your face like that?”
“No, it’s just amazing that you came up with this…I’m sorry. Please don’t hit me.”
When Jude made a playful remark, Cordelia clenched her fist and made a ‘hmph’ sound, but she soon loosened her face.
In the first place, she knew that he was trying to lighten the mood because of Lena.
“Lena, please draw the magic circle for the Heavenly Seal.”
It was absolutely impossible for them to currently learn high-ranking magic such as the Heavenly Seal with little preparation.
Lena smiled again at Cordelia’s request.
“Yes, I’ll prepare it right away.”
In just a few minutes, the group’s mood completely changed.
Close the Hell Gate and solve Endymion’s problem. Save Lena’s life.
“We can do it.”
Jude said in a small voice and then took a step forward.
They began their operation.
***
In order to activate Endymion’s magic circle, all nine magic stones at the outskirts of the underground city had to be activated.
But it wasn’t that difficult.
Six of them were already activated by Lena.
While Kaplan controlled the console and Lena drew the magic circle of the Heavenly Seal, Jude traveled around the outskirts of the city and activated the remaining magic stones.
Jude used the Twenty-Four Gale Steps to jump to higher places in order to hide from the low-ranking demons who did not have a proper command system. He hid so well that even his shadow was not noticed by the monsters.
He finally activated the last magic stone.
Now, it was time to return to the central tower and join Lena in order to begin their feint operation of drawing the demons’ attention.
“Jude!”
“Lena!”
Upon reaching the first floor of the tower, Lena quickly came to him. She had just finished drawing the magic circle.
Everything went smoothly.
If their plan proceeded as it is, they would be able to close the Hell Gate successfully.
But as always, not everything went according to plan.
Time had passed while he traveled around activating the magic stones.
The Hell Gate finally went beyond the first stage and began its transition into the second stage.
Aaaaah-!
Something like a ghost’s wail shook the entire underground city.
The aura of hell became much stronger, and an overpowering dark and cold energy spread everywhere.
The Hell Gate also became bigger.
The crack grew wider and it now really looked like a gate.
And more demons began to cross over.
A Named Demon also appeared.
Their distance was quite far.
The distance between the Hell Gate and the tower was hundreds of meters.
But it was still huge enough to be clearly seen.
On a huge chariot pulled by hell dogs stood a Lacto that emitted a powerful energy.
It wasn’t a common Lacto but a powerful Named Demon.
As soon as it appeared, the air in the underground city shook once again.
Its appearance alone made their hairs stood on end.
“Bandaizel.”
Jude and Lena spoke almost simultaneously.
For Jude, it was a boss who appeared in the middle of Legend of Heroes 2, and for Lena, it was a persistent pursuer who chased after her several times in Hell.
‘We need to draw the attention of this guy.’
Bandaizel wasn’t normally a strong opponent.
But if they thoughtlessly activated the magic circle, the tower could be smashed before the magic circle concentrated its power on Cordelia.
So they had to fight him and buy some time.
Jude and Lena’s job was to keep him away from the tower.
“We need to hold our ground for 3 minutes.”
Lena smiled at Jude’s words.
“Yes, three minutes.”
“It’s going to be a really long three minutes.”
“I know.”
Lena was not in normal condition now.
But she was one of the five heroes.
Even though she had the Demon Syndrome, she was still one of the heroes who ended the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom.
‘It’s a strange feeling.’
He was fighting together with the hero in the first episode of Legend of Heroes.
They were in an equal position, and not him being protected or helped.
‘I must be a little crazy too.’
His heart was pounding amidst their situation.
“Let’s go, Jude.”
“Yes, Lena.”
Jude and Lena moved towards the Hell Gate.
And Bandaizel sensed them.
Standing in front of the Hell Gate, he looked at the far distance and sneered.
“Lena.”
Bandaizel was a named demon.
At the moment he appeared, the group of monsters who were moving around without any order suddenly transformed into an army.
Everyone looked in the same direction at once.
There was still some distance from them. Dozens of buildings were lined up in between them.
But that didn’t mean much.
“It’s three minutes.”
“3 minutes.”
It would work out somehow.
Jude grinned and activated the power of Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.
Lena also focused her mana on both of her hands.
“Cordelia.”
Jude unconsciously spoke, and his words became a signal.
Jude and Lena kicked the ground.
At the same time, Bandaizel loudly shouted, and the charging of the monsters from hell reverberated on the ground.
Booooom-!
Another sound was added.
The ground roared and a strong and beautiful light instantly drove out the darkness of the underground city.
Pillars of light rose up from the nine magic stones at once.
The ground lit up, and the mighty and ancient magic circle began to operate.
The demons hesitated for a moment.
But not Bandaizel.
He didn’t have a clear grasp of what was happening now, but he knew well of the fact that he had to move right away.
“Break it! Destroy it! Sweep it all away!”
At Bandaizel’s yell, the demons began to move again.
Bandaizel spread out his large wings and spurred the chariot.
Jude and Lena split up to play their respective roles.
Lena was the only one who could stop the numerous monsters that were flocking towards the tower.
Thus, Jude’s role was naturally fixed.
“3 minutes.”
Round 1 against Bandaizel.
“Cordelia.”
Jude recited Cordelia’s name once again as if in prayer before he began moving. He flew towards Bandaizel who was charging straight towards the tower.
Black Dragon Cross Strike!
He showed off his strongest skill from the very beginning.
Bandaizel stopped his charge as the mighty black cross broke through the air. He swung his iron whip on the black cross that was rushing towards him.
Baaaang!
The black cross was instantly destroyed. In addition, the air was torn apart, and above the ground, flames rose along the trajectory of the whip.
A Named Demon.
An unsealed and powerful monster that just came out of hell.
The demon smiled.
He sighted Jude beyond the place where he destroyed the black cross.
“Hi.”
Jude said, and the monster went mad. He generated black waves that were like flames, and then charged towards Jude.
Crack!
The iron whip cracked through the air again.
And everything in its trajectory was destroyed.
Ruuuumble! Booom!
It wasn’t thunder. It was the sound of the buildings collapsing at once.
Jude kicked the ground. He ran through the rubble of the collapsing building.
‘Let’s focus on evasion.’
He had to act like Outboxer.
He had no chances of winning in a head-to-head confrontation. He had to fool the enemy with his mobility.
Faster.
A little faster!
Boom!
A huge hammer smashed the place where Jude had just stood.
Bandaizel had a warhammer on his right hand.
He was about 7 meters tall.
He was like a giant to Jude, but he was not slow.
Bang!
There was a loud noise again.
It was Jude this time. Rather than widening his distance from Bandaizel, he narrowed it down as he created a whirlwind and became a gale.
Running around wasn’t the only way to get its attention.
Hell’s Blood Slash.
The red sword slashed Bandaizel’s waist.
It was a shallow slash.
But the slash was enough to cause bleeding.
“You little rat!”
The enraged Bandaizel furiously shouted and turned around as he flung his whip towards Jude.
A sharp and fast attack.
His attack was inescapable.
Therefore, Jude did not avoid it. He did not deviate from the trajectory of the iron whip.
Crack!
The ground was destroyed.
But Jude wasn’t. He ignored the attack through the use of the Fairy Steps.
After the attack passed through him, he began sprinting.
“Baaastard!”
Bandaizel spread out his wings.
It was a fast action.
So Jude had to be faster.
Twenty-Four Gale Steps – Black Wind’s Advent.
A pitch-black wind blew.
The black wind moved between the buildings, breaking and splitting some of the buildings.
“Uoooh!”
Bandaizel raised his speed. His iron wind tore apart the space itself, and his angry roar shook the black wind as well as the air.
“Ack!”
The running Jude got thrown on the ground. He couldn’t completely avoid the wave-like attack, so he rolled on the floor and Bandaizel appeared in front of Jude, swinging down his hammer at that moment.
Boom!
He rolled and avoided it.
But once was his limit.
When Bandaizel flung his iron whip again, he had now way of escaping this time.
The iron whip cracked through the air.
It rushed to turn Jude into a pool of blood.
He had already used the Fairy Steps.
So he had to use something else.
He had to avoid the attack somehow.
What should I do?
There was no time.
The Black Dragon Cross Strike took too much time.
It was impossible to avoid the iron whip that struck the surroundings by a few steps.
What should I do then?
How do I do it?
In that moment.
In that crack of time.
Jude calculated.
No, he didn’t calculate it.
At that moment, he felt it instinctively like Cordelia.
It was new and strange to him.
It was such a short time, but he was able to think in that moment.
It was even possible to recite the mnemonic chant.
So Jude acted.
He added the mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors to the Thirty-Six World Steps, not the Twenty-Four Gale Steps.
Just as the Holy Cross Punch advanced to the Black Dragon Cross Strike, it gave new power to the Thirty-Six World Steps.
And the result…
Baaaaang!
It was like thunder.
The fearsome iron whip struck and swept the surrounding area, destroying everything.
But Bandaizel couldn’t smile.
His face was distorted.
Because not everything was destroyed.
There was a man who stood alive amidst the storm of fearsome destruction.
Jude was standing.
He didn’t move far away.
He stood on the spot where he originally stood.
The Thirty-Six World Steps was a footwork skill that defended the user by evading attacks that came from all directions.
Moreover, the power of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors was added.
Thus, Jude was able to escape.
No matter how violent the iron whip’s attack was, in the end, it was an attack that created a single line.
If he could pinpoint the direction in which that line landed, he could completely avoid that single line.
With the Thirty-Six World Steps, it became possible to fly in any direction continuously and deviate from the trajectory of the whip’s attack.
Thus, he finally avoided the attack itself.
“Ugh.”
Jude roughly breathed. Subsequently, blood flowed down from his lips, and his legs shook before he collapsed onto the ground.
‘It’s still too much.’
He couldn’t handle it properly.
Avoiding the attack was a miracle in itself.
Bandaizel was bewildered.
But he soon regained his reason.
It was true that Jude made a miraculous move, but he was now seated on the ground.
“Die.”
A cliché line.
The sitting Jude panted as he saw the enemy’s hammer, but he remained on the ground.
He recited the name of a person.
“Cordelia.”
It was time.
Three minutes had passed.
The tower began to shine.
Bandaizel realized it too.
He didn’t know that an immense amount of power was concentrated on the tower.
But he didn’t care.
He was in a hurry to kill Jude who was right in front of him.
He didn’t make the mistake of looking at the tower.
He just consistently held the hammer.
He wanted to strike and crush the enemy in front of him.
That was the right thing to do.
This was his iron rule that had saved his life many times.
But that was why Bandaizel didn’t see it.
The approach of a woman who valued Jude’s life more than the closing of the Hell Gate.
Instead of activating the magic circle as soon as she gained Endymion’s power, the woman rushed to the ground with clenched fists.
“Jude!”
Boom!
There was a roar.
Bandaizel was forced to look back, but it was already late at that time. An intangible force that was so powerful struck Bandaizel and blew him away.
Craaaaash!
The giant Bandaizel rolled on the ground and crashed into a building.
And Cordelia didn’t care.
Her whole body was covered with a pure and white light, and she landed next to Jude.
“Hey! Are you okay? Hey!”
“I’m okay, I’m okay.”
He was grateful for her concern, but it was rather difficult to breathe because she pulled on his collar.
“The seal, quickly…”
Jude said as he held Cordelia’s hand.
He was thankful that she ran to save him, but she had to hurry to close the Hell Gate.
Endymion’s power could be maintained for a few seconds at most. She also had to go back to the tower and activate the magic circle of the Heavenly Seal that Lena installed on the top floor of the tower.
However, it was before Jude could finish what he wanted to say.
Bandaizel stood up again.
At the same time he got up, he sent off a powerful air wave, and Cordelia hurriedly waved her hand to stop him.
Boooom!
There was a terrible loud sound, and Cordelia swallowed her scream. Because Endymion’s power was too strong.
If she continued maintaining that power, Cordelia herself would be destroyed.
Jude figured it out too.
So he tried to speak again, but Cordelia was faster.
She suddenly made a charming smile and said as she looked straight at Jude.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Do you trust me?”
What is she talking about all of a sudden?
At the moment when Jude made a confused expression, the blown away Bandaizel broke the rubble of the building and stood up again.
There was no time now.
Jude stared at Cordelia.
Cordelia was looking at Jude herself with a smile that showed her front teeth.
As he stared at those blue eyes, Jude nodded.
“I trust you.”
“Then I’ll do it. Luke will take care of Kaplan, so don’t worry about him.”
“Huh?”
That was it. Cordelia didn’t talk about it anymore.
She was going to do it.
Jude trusted her, so she would do it.
Cordelia stood straight and looked at Bandaizel.
She spoke to him and Jude at the same time.
“I figured it out while I was looking at the map on the tower. There was a dragon vein flowing under here too, you know?”
A flowing dragon vein.
What do you mean all of a sudden?
Why all of a sudden-
He understood.
He realized it.
So Jude jumped up and shouted.
“Hey! Hey!”
No! Hey! No way! Hey!
But it was too late.
He already said that he trusted her.
“The second way to close the Hell Gate.”
And that was to destroy the place where the Hell Gate had opened.
“As a bonus, the demons are also defeated.”
Bandaizel still couldn’t comprehend it.
Instead of stopping Cordelia, Jude gave up and closed his eyes.
And Cordelia ferociously smiled as her teeth shined. She gathered all of Endymion’s power and created a before stabbing it into the ground.
The power of Endymion hit the dragon vein.
And what occurred because of it.
The stuff that was done by Cordelia.
“F*ck bang.”
The moment Cordelia gracefully spoke.
The dragon vein runaway along with a tremendous roar.
The last day of the underground city of Endymion had begun.