There Is No World For ■■

“This is ridiculously deep.”

“Are we sure this is an armory and not a nuclear fallout shelter? This depth is weird.”

“And it’s so damn dark. I mean, even emergency stairs should have some sort of signal lights. Why is there nothing?”

“Uh... guys? I’m not the only one who finds this weird, right?”

“Feels like we’ve gone down more than 20 floors....”

“...Hey?”

“Sis?”

“Brother-in-law?”

At that moment, as Neti abruptly stopped on the staircase—

A light flared up ahead.

Brilliant golden light traced a small magic circle, illuminating the staircase where they stood.

It was a familiar light. The same light her brother-in-law had shown her on the day he unlocked the restriction in her mind.

The source of the glow was the golden, rectangular artifact her brother-in-law had just displayed. Turning it over in his hands, he carefully examined different sections of the staircase.

“Brother-in-law? What the hell is going on?”

“We’ve triggered a trap. I’m figuring out what kind, so just hold on for a second.”

A trap? Neti shot a glance at her sister, but Seti had her eyes closed, as if trying to sense something.

A moment of silence passed.

Then Seti opened her eyes, having found something. She exchanged a glance with Yeomyeong—

And without hesitation, she jumped down the staircase.

Neti was so shocked she nearly dropped the weapon bag she was holding. But her brother-in-law was so unbothered that she managed to stay calm, too.

Moments later, Seti returned, completely unharmed. Though she had fallen from above—

Wooong—

Yeomyeong extended his telekinesis just in time to catch her.

“Well?”

“Just as expected. We’re looping around in place.”

“...Think the Shepherds set this up?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. There’s no distorted mana... it’s probably part of the armory’s security.”

Neti couldn’t quite follow the conversation, so she simply listened quietly. But as soon as the discussion ended, both of them turned to stare at her.

“...What?”

“You’re a mage. Got any advice?”

“Aren’t you a mage too, brother-in-law?”

Neti tilted her head in confusion but answered diligently.

“If it’s a magic circle designed to make people loop... it’s similar to the ones used in old communist states. Not exactly the same, though.”

“...And the way to break it?”

“You just have to erase the magic circle. Usually, the best way is to blow up any possible locations with C4, but...”

For a structure this massive, even finding the magic circle would be a problem.

And even if they did find it, using explosives wouldn’t be an option—they didn’t have nearly enough rocket warheads to do the job.

But for some reason, Neti was certain her brother-in-law would figure it out.

And just as she expected, Yeomyeong began gathering mana.

Was he tracing the magic circle’s mana backward? Or was he preparing another spell to break it?

Neti was curious to see how he’d solve the trap.

But the answer he gave next far exceeded her expectations.

“Enough wasting time.”

With those words, Yeomyeong unsheathed his sword—

And unleashed a brilliant white sword aura.

A light so intense it even overwhelmed the golden glow of the seal.

It was a light Neti had never seen before. A comet’s radiance.

Yeomyeong swung the Comet Sword downward at the stairs.

The mana of the magic circle reacted, twisting in defiance—

But the comet’s radiance didn’t just slice through the magic.

It split apart the very concrete of the staircase itself, sending the energy hurtling downward.

No sound followed.

But Neti instinctively knew.

The trap’s magic had been utterly obliterated.

“...”

As she marveled once again at what a monster he was, Yeomyeong peered downward and spoke.

“They definitely noticed that below. Time to move.”

“...Huh?”

Instead of answering, he leapt over the stair railing.

Wait—did he even check how high up they were?!

As Neti hurriedly looked down in shock, her sister suddenly grabbed her waist.

“Hold onto your weapons with telekinesis.”

“What? Sis, wai—”

Before she could even finish her sentence—

Seti jumped.

****

Fortified Inn, Rooftop Lookout

Balagu swallowed dryly as he gazed at the smoke rising over the city.

Anyone could see the fires burning.

But there were no firefighters.

Had they gone underground too, hoping for a jackpot? No, that wasn’t it.

His instincts screamed at him.

This wasn’t the smoke of simple fires.

It was the stench of war and death.

The screams, the sounds of walls collapsing, of flesh being torn apart, all confirmed it.

He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but the horrific chaos was spreading.

It was only a matter of time before it reached the inn.

“Hey, you eunuch orc.”

Balagu turned his head.

Josef and his thugs were climbing up to the watchtower, carrying heavy weapon crates.

The crates were loaded with machine guns and ammunition.

One of the thugs shoved Balagu aside and began setting up a machine gun turret.

“You know how to shoot?”

Balagu shook his head.

Josef let out a short laugh and tossed him a handgun.

“Then it’s time to learn.”

“...”

“Leave this spot to the pros. Come downstairs. We’ve got work to do.”

Josef clapped him on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow.

Downstairs, the inn was buzzing with movement.

The thugs scurried about, preparing as if for war.

“What the hell is happening?”

Balagu asked, eyeing the machine guns being mounted at the windows.

Josef shrugged.

“Hell if I know.”

“...You don’t know?”

Balagu looked incredulous.

Josef bit down on his cigarette, lighting a match.

“But I do know this city’s fucked. Don’t you agree?”

“...”

Just then—

A deafening explosion echoed from the far side of the city.

Josef grinned as he took a drag from his cigarette.

“I have weapons and a fortified position. And in a city that’s falling apart, nothing is more valuable than weapons and fortifications. Every rat smart enough to survive will come here to take them.”

Balagu didn’t disagree.

Every word was true. But...

“You could just run.”

“...Huh?”

“You already got your payment. And your ‘client’ isn’t even here anymore.”

It was a blatant question.

Josef smirked and took a slow drag.

Then—he blew a puff of smoke right into Balagu’s face.

“Listen, orc. Stop trying to read me and just ask outright—what do you think I’m up to?”

A blunt response.

Balagu swallowed and answered carefully.

“...I know you were hired by the Eastern Court Lord.”

Josef let out a small chuckle.

“Oh? So you weren’t just a simple guide.”

“...”

“Well, let me put your mind at ease—I’m not planning to betray my client.”

“Why not?”

Instead of answering immediately, Josef leaned against the window, gazing down at the burning city.

The rising smoke mixed with the cigarette smoke curling from his lips.

And finally—

The smuggler spoke.

“Because a smuggler’s best bet is always to side with the strongest one.”

The golden seal’s light pierced the darkness as it plummeted downward.

Beyond the glow, there was only concrete stairs.

But Yeomyeong’s keen senses picked up faint voices, the scent of blood, and the presence of twisted mana.

A presence he was all too familiar with—the Shepherds.

Just as expected, at the bottom of the stairs, dozens of Shepherds were gathered in a tight cluster. And in the next moment—

Yeomyeong swung his sword with all his might.

Saaaa—

As his hand and blade moved, mana flickered, splitting the air, and a brilliant light erupted.

—W-What is that?!

—We’re under attack!

—Deploy the barrier! Now!

The Shepherds noticed Yeomyeong at the last possible moment. But it was already too late.

Comet Sword.

With no intention of exchanging pleasantries, his sword energy struck the ground ahead of him.

Kwaaaang!

The concrete floor exploded, sending up a cloud of dust. Yeomyeong immediately used telekinesis to slow his descent.

The fall was significant, and when Yeomyeong landed, a loud thud echoed through the ground.

—Don’t panic!

—Forget the wounded! Return fire!

—Shoot at the light! NOW!

Despite the sudden attack, the Shepherds reacted quickly.

The surviving pig-headed ones pulled out their guns and fired toward the golden light of the seal.

But before they could even fire a few shots—

An anti-tank rocket fell straight onto their heads.

Explosion. And more explosions.

The stairway floor was instantly consumed by flames. The blast was so devastating that even Neti, who had fired the rockets, was left speechless.

“B-Brother-in-law... did he get caught in that?”

“Yeomyeong’s fine.”

Seti replied calmly as she twisted her body midair, kicking off the stairwell wall.

The sudden acceleration made Neti gag, but Seti kicked off the wall a few more times, slowing their fall.

Tak—

When the two landed, the first thing that greeted them was Yeomyeong—standing with his sword drawn—surrounded by the bodies of slaughtered Shepherds.

There were dozens of dead pig-headed ones and at least ten bull-headed ones.

But Seti wasn’t smiling.

Because beyond the carnage, five pairs of crimson eyes were watching them.

“I didn’t expect to be ambushed here.”

A voice so smooth it was hard to believe it belonged to a Shepherd echoed through the space.

Yeomyeong poured more mana into the golden seal, illuminating the area. As the golden glow reached the massive iron doors, five figures standing in front of it became visible.

Four horse-headed ones and one chicken-headed one.

The two sisters, knowing their true strength, tensed and gathered their mana.

Seti pulled out her hammer, and Neti opened her bag, levitating three rifles and their last remaining anti-tank rocket into the air.

And Yeomyeong—who had already killed nearly a hundred Shepherds—lowered his sword with a smirk.

“Who are you?”

Yeomyeong didn’t bother answering. If they wanted a response, he wouldn’t have come in disguise.

Perhaps realizing this, the chicken-headed one changed his question.

“What happened to Jo Pantoriano?”

At that very moment, the horse-headed ones began weaving spells. Yeomyeong, too, silently activated his telekinesis and answered.

“I snapped his neck.”

“Fitting. A human greedy for what he didn’t deserve, dying in a pathetic way.”

“Did you get the armory’s password?”

“No.”

“I see. That complicates things. Now we have to go back up and dig through his brain.”

That was the end of the conversation.

As one of the horse-headed ones fired a red energy beam from his mouth—

Neti’s floating rifles opened fire.

Gunfire and magic roared at once.

With the deafening sound as their signal, Yeomyeong and the chicken-headed one lunged at each other.

****

Yeomyeong closed the distance in an instant, accelerating as he brought his sword down.

His sword energy extended, carving a long arc through the air.

The chicken-headed one swung his foot toward the blade.

CLANG!

Mana clashed with mana, sword met shoe, and the resulting impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

Immediately after, a crrrrk sound rang out—his shoe tearing apart, revealing the sharp talons characteristic of birds.

A half-human, half-bird hybrid? Like Corvus?

The moment that thought crossed Yeomyeong’s mind, the talons curled inward—trying to seize his blade.

Yeomyeong twisted his sword sideways, slicing into the talons instead.

Snip—

A single severed talon fell to the ground, but the chicken-headed one merely tilted his head, unfazed.

“You’re stronger than I expected.”

Yeomyeong’s thoughts weren’t much different.

With just a single clash, he could tell—

This one was strong.

One of the strongest foes he had ever faced.

“Why are you attacking us? Money? Fame? Orders?”

The chicken-headed one murmured.

“Do you know? I work for the Korean government. I don’t know who you are, but whether it’s wealth or honor, I can give you whatever you want.”

“...”

“Someone of your caliber—whatever you've done, it can all be overlooked. How about it? Would you work for a nation that truly serves its people?”

Bullshit.

Yeomyeong clenched his fist, raising his heels.

And then—

BOOM!

With Jingak, he struck the concrete floor.

Thick concrete cracked violently, screaming under the pressure.

The sudden tremor sent not only the horse-headed ones reeling but even the chicken-headed one staggering.

Normally, he would have regained his balance immediately.

But recognizing the technique Yeomyeong had used, his reaction was delayed.

The ultimate move of Bigak Art—Jingak.

“...Jingak? No way—”

The chicken-headed one barely managed to utter those words—

Before the blade of vengeance flashed toward his neck.