There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 159: 19530305 (4)

* * *

The shield that was able to block Sword Aura, magic, and even rocket warheads failed to stop the corpses as the explosion spell passed right through.

“How did you—”

As confusion filled the chicken-headed figure’s eyes, the horse-headed corpse beneath his feet exploded.

!!!

The first explosion blew off his lower half.

The second sent a deafening scream through the air inside the shield.

And with the third, cracks began to spread across the shield, followed by the blood that burst forth.

As Yeomyeong prepared to detonate the final corpse…

Determination filled the chicken-headed figure’s eyes as he turned his gaze and locked eyes with Yeomyeong beyond the shield.

The crimson eyes of the shepherd overlapped with Yeomyeong’s golden ones.

In less than a second, the two monsters exchanged an emotion far more powerful than a hundred words.

Hatred.

“—His Excellency will punish all of you.”

With those words, the chicken-headed figure cut his own neck.

Suicide? No, that wasn’t it.

In the next moment, his decapitated body grabbed the chicken head and hurled it toward the portal.

Watching the head fly toward the portal, Yeomyeong clenched his teeth as he recalled the Shepherds’ words about a way to extract information from the brain of a dead man.

He couldn’t let it cross the portal like that.

His judgment was quick, and his actions quicker.

Squeezing out the last of his mana, Yeomyeong cast one final spell at the chicken head.

Corpse Explosion.

The spell enveloped the severed chicken head just before it could be sucked into the portal.

It worked. Wrapped in the Corpse Explosion spell, the head vanished beyond the portal.

Not long after, the portal itself rippled and vanished into thin air. And immediately after casting the spells in quick succession…

—Blegh.

Yeomyeong dropped to his knees and vomited blood. The backlash from the reversed mana had injured his organs.

It was only natural. Corpse Explosion was a spell that utilized twisted mana.

And for someone like Yeomyeong, who had nothing but pure mana, using such a spell was like running a car engine with sludge instead of gasoline.

Moreover, he’d used it not once but four times consecutively. So, the fact that this was the complete extent of the damage was a miracle in itself.

“…Yeomyeong?! What’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you okay?!”

The moment Seti saw him collapse to his knees, she tossed her hammer to the side and rushed to him.

Swallowing the blood in his mouth and wiping the saliva mixed with blood dripping from his lips, Yeomyeong waved her off, trying to reassure her.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“Are you really fine? No, don’t get up. Just lie down for a bit.”

“I’m really oka—”

As he tried to get up, Seti firmly pressed his shoulders and forced him back down. Unable to protest, he gave a wry smile and lay down.

Immediately after, Seti began inspecting his body, ready to share her mana if necessary.

Yeomyeong’s condition wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. While his blood vessels and organs were damaged, she could sense them healing in real time.

His absurd Regeneration ability never ceased to amaze her.

With a sigh of relief, Seti lifted her hands from his chest.

“See? I told you I’m fine.”

Seeing Yeomyeong joke playfully, Seti chuckled as she wiped the blood off his cheek.

Their faces naturally drew closer, their eyes reflecting each other, until—

“…Um, should I give you two some space?”

Neti, who had been collecting her weapons, spoke up.

Despite Seti letting out a deep sigh, Neti used Telekinesis to wave the Handle of Uragan and added.

“I’m all for having a niece or nephew, but the unicorn inside this rod seems to disagree. It’s telling me to run away. So, what should I do?”

“…”

“O pure maiden! Flee! My master is no less than a greedy beast—!”

Before Neti could finish mimicking the unicorn’s warning, Yeomyeong snatched the Handle of Uragan away with Telekinesis.

[O Master! I have been wronged! I have never said such things to that maiden—]

The unicorn frantically tried to explain itself, but Yeomyeong shook his head and shoved the Handle of Uragan back into his magic bag.

Watching this, Neti giggled, and Seti laughed as she stood up. Striding over to her younger sister, she gave her a playful flick on the forehead.

“Ouch! Brother-in-law! Unnie is trying to kill me!”

Saying so, Neti bolted and Seti chased after her.

Waiting for his body to recover, Yeomyeong watched the two sisters bicker in silence.

By the time his wounds had completely healed and a large bump had formed on Neti’s forehead, Seti approached Yeomyeong and offered her hand.

“What should we do now? Do we head back? Or…”

She asked while glancing at Yeomyeong and then behind him. Taking her hand and rising to his feet, Yeomyeong also turned his gaze in the same direction.

Standing before them was a thick iron door that the Shepherds had failed to open.

The massive door, large enough for a tank to pass through, was emblazoned with the symbol of the Soviet Union: the sickle and hammer.

The door was so overt that even a passing stranger would immediately think of the Soviet Union the moment they saw it.

Raising the Golden Seal, Yeomyeong spoke.

“Since we’ve already come this far, we should at least take a look inside. And…”

“And?”

“…There’s something I need to confirm.”

Something to confirm. Seti didn’t ask what it was.

She only guessed that it was related to whatever Yeomyeong had seen within the Arcane Relic, the Blood Tear Key.

Whatever that information was, it was something he wouldn’t share even with her, but Seti didn’t mind.

Because whatever it might be, she would still support Yeomyeong.

As those thoughts crossed her mind, Yeomyeong used the Golden Seal on the iron door.

A moment later, the now-familiar magic of the Golden Seal activated as a massive golden magic circle spread across the door, glowing brightly.

Creak, creak— The sound of ancient machinery echoed as the iron door began to open.

* * *

A strange mana swept over the group as soon as they walked past the thick iron door.

A trap? No, it wasn’t a trap. It felt more like something much simpler: they had stepped into a massive magic circle.

Had another security magic circle, like the one on the stairs, been activated to block intruders?

As Yeomyeong subtly placed his hand on his sword’s hilt, Neti glanced around before speaking up.

“…This is Preservation magic.”

“Preservation magic?”

“Yeah. It’s to prevent stuff like rust on metal or keeping gunpowder from getting damp… Basically, it’s a magic version of preservatives.”

“…”

“And judging by how dense the mana feels, I’d say it’s covering the entire armory.”

Just as she said, the armory was spotless, as if everything inside was brand new.

The rounded corridor, reminiscent of subway railroads, showed no traces of the typical stains or rust that usually marred old concrete.

“This magic—there’s no problem with it, right?”

Neti shrugged at Yeomyeong’s question.

“Nope. If anything, our presence is probably weakening the magic circle. This spell only affects objects. So unless we blow up the magic circle, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Satisfied with her explanation, Yeomyeong nodded and channeled mana into the Golden Seal. Using its glow as a lantern, he led the group deeper into the armory.

The long corridor, with no branching paths, stretched straight ahead, until they encountered another iron door.

Once again, Yeomyeong used the Golden Seal to open the door, prompting a question from Neti.

“What even is that magic item?”

“A magic item that can break any restriction or unlock any seal.”

Yeomyeong answered without breaking his stride.

“Oh… It’s pretty similar to the legendary symbol of the dwarven royal family, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s precisely that.”

“…What?”

While Neti stared in disbelief, Yeomyeong approached the now unlocked door and pushed it open without hesitation.

And as they stepped inside, the first thing that greeted them was a vast chamber with tanks lining both sides.

Each tank looked brand new, as if they had been moved straight from the factory once it was finished.

To Yeomyeong and Seti, who were clueless about how to operate tanks, they were just large, irrelevant machines. However, Neti, who was trailing behind them, reacted differently.

“Oh? It’s a ddaengpali!”

“…Ddaengpali?”

“Its official name is T-82, but people who are into weapons call it ddaengpali. It’s the main battle tank the Soviet Union mass-produced just before its collapse… Wow, how many are in here?”

“…”

Ignoring Neti, who was ogling the tanks in awe while muttering under her breath, Yeomyeong moved to the next chamber.

And she shouted to ask if she could take one for a drive, Seti silenced her with a flick to the forehead.

Anyway,

The group’s next destination was the typical image of what one might imagine when thinking of an armory.

A packed room with crates of weapons and ammunition stacked to the ceiling.

“Wow!”

Surveying the chamber, Neti made a fuss once more, babbling about how this was a Soviet weapons museum and that such weapons couldn’t even be found on the black market. But when Seti picked up a hammer, she immediately fell silent.

However, that didn’t stop her from sneaking a few weapons into her bag.

While Neti gleefully admired her new finds, the group paused briefly.

The next room they visited had a completely different atmosphere from what they had seen so far.

Glass tubes and cooling devices filled with mysterious potions neatly arranged inside lined the pure white walls.

It looked more like a biology lab than an armory, and this time, Seti immediately figured out the room’s purpose.

“This… is probably an alchemy room, isn’t it?”

Alchemy? Before Yeomyeong could tilt his head in puzzlement, Seti stepped forward, opened one of the cooling units, and began pulling out the potions from inside.

Green, red, purple… The mana radiated by the shimmering potions was unmistakable, each one potent enough to evoke thoughts of awakening potions.

The Player used to chug these like water.

As Yeomyeong mulled over this while watching Seti sort through the potions, Neti pouted and grumbled.

“…You didn’t even wait for me when I was looking at weapons.”

Yeomyeong crossed his arms and replied.

“This and that are different.”

“Oh, obviously, right? I’m just your younger sister-in-law, while Unnie is the legal wife. Silly me for forgetting my place…”

However, the moment Seti raised her fist, Neti clammed up instantly.

After a brief silence, Seti began sorting through the potions she had taken out.

Most of the potions she set aside glowed green, exuding incredibly pure mana.

After observing her for a moment, Yeomyeong asked.

“Which potions are you packing?”

“Refined elixirs and non-toxic ones.”

“…Elixirs?”

“They probably intended to distribute these elixirs to the Superhuman soldiers. If sold on the market, each one could fetch a fortune, likely worth billions.”

And as if to prove her point, Seti opened one of the potions and handed it to Yeomyeong.

The scent wafting from the potion was oddly familiar—it reminded him of toothpaste, mint to be precise.

“Drink it.”

“…Right now?”

“It’s refined, so your body should absorb it quickly. What? Are you worried that it’s spoiled? Want me to try it first?”

With a chuckle, Yeomyeong downed the entire potion. As the unfamiliar mana flowed down his throat and into his body, he felt a strange sensation, not as intense as when he consumed the world tree crystal, but fascinating nonetheless.

Was this why other Superhumans were so obsessed with elixirs?

When Yeomyeong emptied the bottle and set it down, Neti raised her hand energetically.

“Unnie! Me too, me too! I also want to try it!”

Seti stared at her younger sister with a disapproving look but sighed and handed her a bottle when Neti started clinging to Yeomyeong.

Neti opened the elixir cheerfully and downed it in one go. Whether she liked the toothpaste flavor or not, she finished it in one shot.

“Gaaaaahh, this quality is way better than the ones they gave us on the farm.”

“Neti, please… have some dignity.”

“Oh, come on. This is how you’re supposed to drink them, right, brother-in-law?”

When Yeomyeong responded with a wry smile instead of words, Neti giggled for a moment before scampering over to help Seti pack the rest of the elixirs into her bag.

“Fifteen high-grade mint-scented elixirs, twelve healing potions, and twenty-two unidentified potions…”

“We could buy a building in New York if we sell all those.”

While Neti began to calculate the potions’ worth with sparkling eyes, Seti quietly looked down at the bag.

After contemplating for a moment, she took out all the toothpaste-flavored elixirs they had left and handed them to Yeomyeong.

“Yeomyeong, I think it’s best if you keep these.”

“…All of them?”

“I think it’s better if you, Yeomyeong, grow stronger rather than selling them. Drink one each time you finish absorbing it. The more mana you have, the better.”

Yeomyeong didn’t reply and simply stared at the bottles before abruptly dividing them in half.

As Seti’s delicate eyebrows arched slightly, Yeomyeong handed her a portion of the bottles and said.

“Two for the other sisters, one for the Saintess, one for Soe Miri, and… the rest, you drink them all.”

“…Me? I’m fine without them.”

“I’m not.”

Yeomyeong’s voice was firm. Seti hesitated, pouting a little, but when Yeomyeong opened a potion and held it out to her, she let out a small, resigned laugh.

“…Thank you.”

“What’s there to thank between us?”

As Seti drank the potion, Neti, watching the scene, scrunched her face as if she felt goosebumps when…

Step. Step—

The sound of footsteps came echoing from beyond the alchemy lab.

Did someone enter through the armory door they had left open?

No, the footsteps were coming from the exact opposite direction of the entrance Yeomyeong’s group had used.

While Seti, who was in the middle of drinking the potion, and both Yeomyeong and Neti’s expressions turned rigid, a voice, clearer than the footsteps, reached their ears.

- Western Count Palatine, that idiot! He’s nothing but trouble even until the end. When is he supposed to arrive?!

It was an unfamiliar, elderly voice.

Upon hearing it, without any prompting, Seti and Neti grabbed their weapons simultaneously and pressed themselves against the door, waiting for the voice to approach.

Yeomyeong also drew his sword, preparing to greet their unexpected guest. At that very moment…

[If you are asking about the guest, they are already here.]

Another voice echoed, filling the hallway beyond the door.

It was a repulsive, heavy voice, like flames burning in the depths of hell, which was all too familiar—the voice of the Skeleton Dragon.