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Not just any S-rank, but one who wielded some of the most destructive lightning-based magic.

That’s why Johan had willingly allied with him.

Lee Ji-ryeong would expand his influence in Neo Seoul, and Johan would support him. They had even struck a deal allowing Johan to proselytize once Lee Ji-ryeong secured territory in Neo Seoul.

Johan had no doubt that Lee Ji-ryeong would succeed. That’s why he had willingly participated in the heist of the top-grade Mana Stone.

As long as Lee Ji-ryeong was alive and well, Johan believed there wouldn’t be any major problems for Dongdaemun.

But the man he had placed so much trust in had lost his life to Zeon.

Johan’s mind spun as he grappled with this unexpected turn of events.

“There he is!”

“Seize the one who dares to disrespect Lord Johan!”

Paladins came rushing in from the back entrance, shouting.

They charged at the middle-aged man standing opposite Johan, swords raised.

The attack was so sudden that Johan didn’t have time to stop them.

In that instant, the smile on the middle-aged man’s face deepened.

“Oh dear, there are still some friends left standing.”

Boom!

In a flash, the Paladins who had been charging at the middle-aged man collapsed as if struck by an invisible hammer.

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

The Paladins’ faces contorted in pain.

An enormous pressure and weight were crushing their bodies.

Creak!

No matter how much strength they mustered, it was futile. Their spines bent, and their heads bowed.

Tens, if not hundreds, of tons of pressure were concentrated on them.

Even their Holy Shields, the Paladins’ defensive skill, were useless.

Just as an ant, no matter how tough its exoskeleton, is crushed under a human finger, they couldn’t withstand the overwhelming pressure.

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking echoed from the Paladins’ bodies.

Their veins bulged out like worms all over their bodies.

A little more pressure, and they would burst like balloons.

Finally, Johan, who had remained silent, spoke.

“You’re the Gravity Mage, Grain.”

“Correct.”

The middle-aged man, Grain, answered with a smile.

Grain.

The second-in-command of the execution unit and an S-rank Awakened who could manipulate gravity at will.

His power was on par with the rulers of the districts.

Even if Lee Ji-ryeong had been alive, there was no guarantee that he could have defeated Grain—a true monster.

Yet, Johan wasn’t particularly afraid of Grain. He had abilities that could rival Grain’s.

But if Johan were to confront Grain directly, it would mean making an enemy of Jin Geum-ho.

The man who was Neo Seoul itself.

After calculating the situation, Johan spoke with difficulty.

“Let’s stop this.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll withdraw from Sinchon.”

“That’s a given.”

“I’ll also pull out of the Goblin Market.”

“That sounds good. And?”

“I’ll send something of equivalent value to the top-grade Mana Stone as an apology.”

“I like that.”

Creak!

The gravity pressing down on the Paladins still hadn’t dissipated.

This meant Grain wasn’t satisfied yet.

Johan gritted his teeth.

“I’ll also limit the Paladins’ activities to Dongdaemun for the time being.”

“Wow!”

Finally, Grain released the gravity on the Paladins and clapped his hands. He was now satisfied with the response.

“Ugh!”

“Hah…”

The Paladins gasped for breath, relieved to be freed from the crushing force.

Grain twirled the staff with the blue gemstone as if it were a toy and said,

“Then I’ll trust you to keep your promises and take my leave. Let’s meet again under better circumstances.”

Ignoring the grinding of Johan’s teeth, Grain walked out.

As he made his way out, Paladins lay collapsed throughout the passageways.

They had all fallen victim to his gravity.

None of them were dead. Grain had controlled the gravity with precision.

If he had wanted to, he could have concentrated tens of tons of gravity into a space no larger than a coin.

Ordinary Paladins stood no chance against his attacks.

When he exited the Holy Temple, an armored vehicle was waiting for him.

Standing in front of it was a young woman dressed in a formal uniform.

The woman glanced at her wristwatch and said,

“You’re about the expected amount of time late.”

“Oh! The conversation with Lord Johan took a bit longer than expected.”

“Did the conversation go well?”

“He’s a reasonable man, so it ended on a good note.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I think so too. If he had been stubborn, I would’ve had to bring down this massive church. Do you know how hard that would’ve been?”

“Don’t lie. You’d do it as easily as breathing.”

“Hey! You’re talking too lightly about someone else’s job.”

When Grain raised his voice, the woman frowned and said,

“Let’s leave it at that. We have another mission waiting.”

“Already? That’s not fair.”

“What’s unfair?”

“Where’s the rest time between missions? We’re supposed to get a break after each one.”

“It wasn’t a mission that required much effort, was it?”

“Leona! Isn’t it too harsh to talk like that just because it’s not your job?”

The woman Grain had called Leona was his secretary.

She managed his schedule, missions, support, and everyday life.

Without Leona, Grain’s daily life would be impossible.

“Stop complaining and get in the armored vehicle. We need to move quickly.”

“Hey!”

“What now?”

“Still, this isn’t right.”

“What isn’t? Just get in the vehicle.”

“You’re more like a mother-in-law than a secretary.”

“If you’re unhappy, fire me.”

“Tch! If you weren’t my friend’s daughter, I’d seriously consider it.”

Grumbling, Grain climbed into the armored vehicle.

Leona, with a faint smile, soon drove the vehicle out of Dongdaemun.

* * *

The top-grade Mana Stone was returned to the City Hall, and the clerics who had entered Sinchon all returned to Dongdaemun. Zeon, Levin, and Brielle also returned home.

“It’s been so long!”

“We’re home!”

Levin and Brielle cheered as they ran around the house.

Even though they had been away for a long time, the house was untouched.

Thanks to the Watching Eye, the house had been perfectly protected from any external intruders.

Zeon smiled at the unchanged appearance of the house.

“We’ve been through a lot, so let’s take some time to rest.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Okay!”

Levin and Brielle answered excitedly and ran to their rooms.

They wanted to shower and relax as soon as possible.

Zeon sat down on the couch in the living room to rest.

Beyond the neon signs outside the window, he could see the massive City Hall building.

At the top of the City Hall was Jin Geum-ho.

‘Dongdaemun’s sudden retreat must be your doing.’

Otherwise, there was no way those fanatics would have backed down from Sinchon so easily.

It was fortunate.

If Jin Geum-ho hadn’t intervened at the right moment, they would have had to fight Dongdaemun to the bitter end.

Zeon wasn’t afraid of Dongdaemun, but a war of attrition wasn’t what he wanted.

Fortunately, Jin Geum-ho had intervened at just the right level when Zeon needed it.

Dongdaemun wouldn’t want to provoke Jin Geum-ho further, so they would likely remain quiet for a while.

“Haah!”

Zeon let out a sigh.

So much had happened in such a short time.

He had been betrayed during a dungeon raid, dealt with the scavengers and restored the Steel Fortress, and then returned to Neo Seoul to fight the forces allied with Lee Ji-ryeong and Johan.

For an ordinary Awakened, the danger would have been enough to kill them multiple times.

The fact that he had returned safely was nothing short of a miracle.

Even for Zeon, the mental fatigue was inevitable.

Still, he had gained a lot.

“Levin, Brielle, and Eloy have grown, and I, too, have awakened a new skill.”

Until now, he had considered the ability to manipulate sand and the flame skills granted by the Inferno Gauntlet as separate entities.

The Inferno Gauntlet was an incredible item that allowed him to wield superheated flames, but it wasn’t his innate ability, so he had only seen it as a supplementary tool.

He had occasionally mixed sand and fire, but he had always thought true fusion was something far off. However, through his battle with Lee Ji-ryeong, he found a way to fuse these two different types of skills.

“What if I use Sand Gehenna in the desert?”

With just the sand stored in his subspace, he had turned the area into a lava field.

If he unleashed Sand Gehenna in a desert with an infinite supply of sand, a vast area would melt into lava.

It would be terrifyingly effective, not just against humans, but also against monsters.

“This is good.”

Zeon smiled.

Having more skills at his disposal was always a good thing.

It meant having more options to adapt to different situations, just like this time.

“I’ll think more about it later. For now, I should rest.”

* * *

“As per the report, all matters have been cleared.”

“Is that so? Good work, everyone.”

Jin Geum-ho nodded at Secretary Seo Tae-ran’s report while looking out the window.

Jin Geum-ho was gazing at the slums beyond the barrier.

After a moment of looking at the same scene, Seo Tae-ran cautiously spoke up.

“But…”

“Hmm?”

“Is it really alright to end it like this? The person involved in the top-grade Mana Stone theft isn’t limited to just Dongdaemun. Although there is no concrete evidence, indications suggest that other districts might be involved.”

“There’s no evidence, though.”

“If we set our minds to it, we can secure as much evidence as we need.”

“That may be true. But…”

“You don’t want to do that, do you? May I ask why?”

“Anything that is pressed too hard will burst. The larger the city like Neo Seoul, the more delicate the adjustment needs to be. You have to loosen it up appropriately and then press it down again repeatedly.”

In the past, when many countries and cities were still thriving, there was no need to be so meticulous.

Even if one city or country fell, the human species itself would not be wiped out. But Neo Seoul is different.

It is the only city that has achieved super-high civilization in this world.

The moment this city collapses, the surviving humanity would return to the medieval age. It would not just be a regression in civilization; humanity itself could be completely extinct from this world.

Jin Geum-ho did not want such a situation to arise.

He had the responsibility to protect and prosper humanity.

Although he was currently content with being the mayor of Neo Seoul, his goal was to eventually leave this small land and recreate a human world.

Even now, he was dedicated to achieving that goal.

———