“Y-yes,” Sung-Hoon murmured. That confused Michael because he saw no one talking with Sung-Hoon. However, he soon realized that Lim Hye-Sook must have communicated with Sung-Hoon mentally.

As if reminiscing, Lim Hye-Sook murmured, “I see… His appearance and energy have changed so much that I couldn’t recognize him at first. But I remember seeing him in that hospital… back when Kim Se-Jin’s wife was hospitalized.”

With a smile, she continued, “This must be fate. Or perhaps Oh Tae-Gu is playing a game. But that doesn’t matter since I owe him. I suppose I can’t just ignore this young man when he needs me. We’ll get started. Now, you over there.”

Lim Hye-Sook turned toward Michael and asked, “What is your relationship with this young man?”

Michael contemplated, wondering what he should say. Honestly, what was his relationship with Gi-Gyu? When Michael remained quiet, Lim Hye-Sook replied, “Don’t bother. I guess it doesn’t matter. I just need to know if you are willing to use what you have for this man.”

This time, Michael’s eyes widened in shock. ‘What?! How does this woman know?’

He had never told this old woman that he had the Holy Grail; even more surprisingly, she was seemingly aware of its power. After thinking for a moment, Michael asked cautiously, “Will it be enough to save him?”

Lim Hye-Sook nodded and replied, “Yes. Without you, it would be impossible, especially because that woman has used too much of her power already.”

She picked up El and looked up at Michael, who became quiet.

Giving up the Holy Grail to save Gi-Gyu was not an easy decision. Based on what he saw earlier, he was almost certain Gi-Gyu was a demon—the species he hated the most. Moreover, Gi-Gyu was the worst demon he had ever seen.

All things considered, Michael should stab Gi-Gyu right then and there. Stuff like his curiosity, his need to prove that Gi-Gyu was 100% evil, and Gi-Gyu’s current vulnerable state didn’t matter. Gi-Gyu was the purest evil he had ever felt, too dangerous to be left alive.

But…

“All right,” Michael replied. That decision went against the very fiber of his being; he felt strangely compelled to save Gi-Gyu. For an unknown reason, he believed that Gi-Gyu needed to remain alive.

“Everything is as it should be,” Lim Hye-Sook murmured before stabbing Gi-Gyu’s chest with El.

***

“Where am I?” Gi-Gyu murmured in darkness.

“C-could it be….?” He stammered, wondering if he had died again. When he died the last time, he ended up in that terrifying space, which still scared him. But things felt different from before. Unlike then, Gi-Gyu could move more freely, and his vision remained clear. Of course, he still couldn’t see anything.

Crack.

Crack.

Gi-Gyu turned toward the sounds. Thankfully, his body moved well, and he quickly got closer to the noises.

“Is someone there?” asked Gi-Gyu.

Crackkk.

No one answered. All Gi-Gyu could hear were the same unpleasant noises. Thanks to the darkness, he could see zilch.

“Is someone there?!” Gi-Gyu shouted the question again.

“Shut up.” This time, he got an answer.

“Huh?!” Gi-Gyu gasped when he spotted two bloody red eyes before him. Suddenly, their color alarmingly changed to violet. But what made Gi-Gyu shiver wasn’t the color but the savage danger he saw inside them.

“Idiot,” the unknown voice muttered. Gi-Gyu abruptly realized that the voice sounded familiar.

“Could it be… Lou?” whispered Gi-Gyu.

Below the violet eyes, a set of white teeth appeared, grinning. Gi-Gyu could see something unpleasant stuck between the teeth. Slowly, the space began to brighten.

“You!” Gi-Gyu whispered as he fell to the ground. The Lou before him looked nothing like the one he saw in the Tower test. The creature before him had an entirely black body with only violet eyes and a mouth on its face.

Lou’s form in this space resembled that of a snake. And this snake was devouring its own tail. It was an ironically scary sight.

Gi-Gyu took a breath and asked, “Where are we? And are you really Lou?”

“Fucking idiot. I get it now. Everything is…” The reply was filled with icy resentment. Now, the snake was no longer eating its tail; instead, its tongue was dancing in front of Gi-Gyu’s face. “But what can I do? This is how it should be… Dammit!”

“Yo-you’re really Lou, aren’t you?” Gi-Gyu stuttered. Fear left his body, and calm slowly returned as he realized the creature really was Lou. He wondered why Lou was acting so hostile.

Lou mumbled, “There is no time. I am going to erase my memories again. I can’t endure this terrible emptiness and hunger again.”

Saliva spilled from the snake’s mouth as it opened wider. “So listen carefully.”

The snake’s voice was full of hatred and venom; somehow, it also sounded empty.

“You and I, and…” Before Lou could finish, a bright light blinded Gi-Gyu’s eyes.

Fwoosh!

The bright light not only blinded Gi-Gyu but also made him deaf since he could no longer see or hear Lou.

“Lou! Tell me! Lou!” shouted Gi-Gyu. He could tell that Lou was about to tell him something important. Gi-Gyu had hoped that Lou could explain the suspicion and sense of disparity he had been feeling lately. But Gi-Gyu could no longer hear the snake’s voice. On top of it, he was losing touch with his consciousness.

-When I don’t have you, I feel a deep sense of hunger.

Gi-Gyu opened his eyes.

“Are you awake now?” a grandma-like figure looked down at him and asked.

***

[You have won the territory war.]

[A reward will be given.]

[You have synced with Botis’ territory.]

[Brunheart will absorb Botis’s territory.]

[You have gained absolute control over the lives of every creature inside Botis’ territory.]

Gi-Gyu had risked his life to hear these announcements, but he didn’t feel any joy.

“Can we leave this gate now?” When Lee Bum-Jun asked in a panic, Gi-Gyu replied, “Yes, I think so.”

Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly, noticing how much Lee Bum-Jun’s attitude had changed toward him.

Lee Bum-Jun nodded and answered, “Thank you.”

Lee Bum-Jun and the rest of the Cain Guild members placed their hands on the cocoon: Yoo Suk-Woo wasn’t in good condition. His breathing was shallow, and his heart was beating faintly. What alarmed Lee Bum-Jun the most was how little magic he could feel from Suk-Woo. He was in desperate need of treatment.

The Cain Guild members and Lee Bum-Jun transferred out of the gate.

“Young Man, you should come visit me soon,” Lim Hye-Sook said to Gi-Gyu.

“Yes, Ma’am,” replied Gi-Gyu. Lim Hye-Sook had saved him after he went berserk, so he had to visit her to thank her for this, if not for anything else.

“Oppa…” Shin Yoo-Bin wanted to say something; in the end, she only nodded to him before leaving the gate.

Curiosity and confusion still filled Tao Chen’s face as he murmured to Gi-Gyu, “I thank you for saving us all, but… Never mind. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“You…” Choi Chang-Yong muttered as he stared at Gi-Gyu. So many emotions appeared on the high ranker’s face before he added, “Thank you.”

With a slight bow, Choi Chang-Yong led the surviving members of the Blue Dragon Guild out of the gate. Now, only Sung-Hoon and Michael were left with Gi-Gyu. Lim Hye-Sook and Sung-Hoon had already told Gi-Gyu that Michael had sacrificed something very important to save him. This had to be why Michael’s magic felt so much weaker now. Before the battle, Gi-Gyu swore Michael’s power felt comparable to Lucifer's, but this wasn’t the case anymore.

Turning toward Michael, Gi-Gyu murmured, “Thank you.”

Michael remained quiet, but it appeared that he wanted to say something. Sung-Hoon watched the two for a moment before offering, “I’ll wait for you outside, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

Sung-Hoon also looked troubled, but Gi-Gyu could tell he was trying to be considerate. Now, only Michael and Gi-Gyu were left inside the gate. All the monsters had left earlier, so after Michael’s departure, Botis’ gate would merge with Brunheart’s gate.

Michael finally opened his mouth and stated, “I gave you a piece of the Holy Grail.”

“Holy Grail? You mean… the Vatican treasure?” When Gi-Gyu asked, Michael replied, “Yes. I gave you the piece bestowed upon me.”

Gi-Gyu’s face turned grave, utterly unaware that Michael had to make such a big sacrifice. When Gi-Gyu thanked him again, Michael replied, “It was only a part of it, so it doesn’t matter since I will regain my full power soon.”

Michael noticed the curious look on Gi-Gyu’s face.

“By the way…” Michael seemed very confused as he murmured. Was he curious about why Gi-Gyu went berserk?

Michael continued, “Only I could accept the Holy Grail. Well, at least until you did. Your body accepted it so easily. You utilized it much more efficiently than I ever could. Because of you, I fear every effort the Vatican made and every sin it ever committed has become meaningless now.”

Before Gi-Gyu could reply, Michael quickly added, “Therefore, I am more determined than ever. I must stay by your side to discover who and what I am. So I will organize my situation before returning to you.”

Gi-Gyu wanted to ask what Michael needed to organize, but Michael left the gate before he could.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed deeply. There were so many things that didn’t make sense to him. But what confused Gi-Gyu the most was himself. He couldn’t remember much of what happened after he stabbed himself with Lou. He recollected a few words and…

‘When I don’t have you, I feel a deep sense of hunger.’

Gi-Gyu remembered Lou saying this to him. After taking another deep breath, Gi-Gyu asked, “Lou, you really don’t remember anything?”