The great demons waiting outside the city clearly witnessed the appearance of a new godly territory after Kabbalah’s godly territory was destroyed. Though they didn’t feel it as keenly as Botis, who was at the center of the event, they were also stunned and terrified of the new godly territory’s effects; and even though they were merely standing near its border, they felt their powers weaken continuously. The great demon with the calm voice was shocked beyond disbelief. He had been sure that they could burn down Shalyh city. But in just a couple of seconds, the situation had changed 180 degrees. It felt as if he had been struck hard at the back of his head. It was then realization dawned on him:

‘They knew everything…!’ The great demon with the calm voice tried to quickly organize his thoughts. He couldn’t think about continuing the battle anymore. He didn’t know where his enemies had retrieved a god like this, but the influence this godly territory had was even beyond God Babyl, who was famous for their powers against demons. They needed to retreat now. If they continued forward, it was clear all the great demons would be wiped out. That mustn’t happen at all costs. Each one was a precious asset to the Demon Empire, and he must try to save as many as possible by opening up a path to the outside for them.

‘I can get at most ten out…more than that would be too much.’ The great demon with the calm voice coldly assessed the situation and tried to choose the best option for the Demon Empire. In the worst-case scenario—even if he couldn’t save the other great demons, he needed to keep Shersha alive because she was a very rare existence—almost an impossibility.

“Sher…!” He looked around and his face became blank. “…sha?” Shersha had just been beside him, but she was gone. She had suddenly disappeared. Knowing her, there was no way she would have escaped on her own.

‘Perhaps…’ He looked back to Shalyh and yelled in frustration, “Astarte!” At his call, Astarte immediately came flying. “I don’t see Shersha! Quickly find her and get out of this place!” Astarte scowled. It seemed she had an inkling of where Shersha could be as she quickly flew into the city.

‘Shersha, why in the world…!’ The great demon with a calm voice chewed on his lip and quickly raised his arm when an explosion erupted.

Bam! He took two steps back and opened his eyes. Before him was a platinum blonde girl. She stretched out her hands at him, followed by a group of her kind. Apoline had pretended to go outside on an expedition and turned around to ambush the demons from behind. With this, the great demon realized that his enemy had known everything and prepared a trap for them.

“So annoying,” Apoline said. She seemed greatly displeased by something. “How dare he look down on me?” She heaved and blasted another ball of fire.

The great demon with the calm voice saw white steam rise from the arm he used to block the attack and hurriedly escaped. It wasn’t that he couldn’t block it. In normal times, he wouldn’t have even been scathed with an attack of this level. But right now, his powers were continuously depleting, and he needed to salvage as much energy as possible.

“Just because he is a Choi, does he think he can do anything he wants!?” Apoline shouted words that her opponent couldn’t understand at all.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Then, like she was unleashing her anger, she triggered a flurry of explosions. The great demon gritted his teeth when he saw the explosions coming his way.

***

Chi-Woo ran. He passed everything in his surroundings and only ran. When he met Shersha, there was something he wanted to ask her no matter what. And to do so, he needed to find her. But finding a single person in an entire city in chaos wasn’t an easy task.

‘Should I just…participate in battle?’ Chi-Woo thought if he made himself stand out while fighting, Shersha would notice him and approach him first. But Chi-Woo shook his head at this thought. Even if she came to him, there would be a problem. Everyone around him was acting crazy for blood, and it was obvious what they would do if they saw Shersha. After contemplating this matter, Chi-Woo suddenly stopped walking. He realized it wasn’t something to ponder so deeply about. Shersha had the power of prophecy. If she had come, it was probably to meet him. Thus, there was a high chance Shersha would actively try to find him.

‘Would she be able to predict where I would go?’ 

What would be a place they could meet and talk for a bit in this situation? It was neither in the main base nor in enemy lines. Places where battles were happening were also out of the question. He needed to get out of Shalyh city but still stay within the godly territory. Chi-Woo immediately moved again. Although he saw people battling from time to time, he passed all of them and eventually went through the city gates. Then he looked around. He was planning to go in a circle from a distance outside the city when he realized that would be unnecessary. There was no need to even wait. Shersha was already waiting there alone, without anyone to guard her in this dangerous situation.

Chi-Woo slowly stopped walking. Shersha turned around and stared intently at him. Then she spoke.

“…It’s you…It was you…”

Chi-Woo walked a bit closer to her. It was because her voice was so faint that it seemed to be smothered by the surrounding noises.

“You…changed the present…” Shersha said once more. Shersha looked just as Chi-Woo had seen her in the future. Her eyes were blank, and her face was impossible to read. Chi-Woo felt conflicted. They had finally met, but his mouth wouldn’t open easily. There were too many things he wanted to say, and he didn’t know which one to bring up first.

Thus, he thought he should speak whatever came to his mind, “…You knew I was the one who changed the future and also how I changed it.”

Shersha nodded in agreement and then shook her head. “To some extent…but I don’t know everything…” She continued in a low voice and stared piercingly at Chi-Woo. “Tell me…What did we talk about…when I met you…in the future…?”

“You helped me,” Chi-Woo answered, and Shersha tilted her head slightly.

“How…?”

“You got me out of prison, helped me collect information, and even personally gave me information while knowing the price would be your life.”

A look of surprise flashed through Shersha’s face. It seemed she didn’t think she would’ve gone that far in the future. “Then…do you know the limit…to my prophecy…?”

“Yes.”

“If I even told you that…then…” Shersha blinked hard and asked, “What else…”

“Um…I think you also asked me if I was going to change the future.”

“And…?”

Chi-Woo licked his lips at her nonstop questions. Was there anything more? Ah, there was one.

“There was something your friend said to me.”

“A friend…?”

“A great demon with red hair.”

Shersha let out a small gasp. “What…did she say…?”

“She said she knew you would make this choice while looking at your dead body.”

“…”

“She said though she couldn’t understand you, she wasn’t pleased with the present—no, the future Demon Empire.”

Shersha fell into silence. Although her face was still unreadable, it seemed Chi-Woo’s words had left a deep impression on her. It could be Chi-Woo’s misunderstanding, but she also seemed slightly shocked. Then, after some time, Shersha spoke again.

“…I see…” Shersha let out a deep sigh. “Eventually…that future....” Her eyes narrowed, and her expression turned bitter. After waiting patiently, Chi-Woo spoke again. There was one thing he wanted to confirm the most. It was what Shersha wanted along with him despite being the enemy.

“So, how is it? Did our future change?”

Shersha didn’t reply immediately. She stared at Chi-Woo intently again like she was pondering and hesitating. Then, when she was about to open her mouth, a person suddenly intervened.

“Shersha!” A woman descended from the sky and staggered backward to block Shersha from the front. Chi-Woo’s eyes widened. He recognized her face. She was the great demon with red hair that he spoke to in the future.

“What are you doing here? Why did you suddenly act on your own?” She asked.

“I…was talking…” Shersha said.

“…What?” Astarte turned around, and her face hardened.

“Teacher!” It was because several others were also catching up to Chi-Woo.

“Mr. Ru Amuh?” There wasn’t only Ru Amuh, but also Evelyn and Hawa. Their appearances were unexpected. Chi-Woo had thought they would be too focused on collecting merits to care about anything else right now.

“We saw you running, so…” Ru Amuh trailed off. It seemed he had followed Chi-Woo after sensing his strange absence. Astarte gritted her teeth when she saw those three.

“Quickly run! I will take care of things here—” She told Shersha.

“No…”

“S-Shersha?”

“I…came to talk.” Shersha pushed away Astarte and took one step forward. Astarte was about to ask what Shersha meant when she heard Chi-Woo echo her sentiment.

“Everyone stand by,” Chi-Woo said while raising his hand. “If you want merits, go somewhere else. Don’t fight here without my permission.”

Evelyn stopped joking that Chi-Woo wanted to hoard tasty prey by himself, and Hawa stopped licking her lips while pulling out her daggers. Ru Amuh also looked at Chi-Woo blankly. They had two great demons in front of them. They couldn’t understand why Chi-Woo was telling them to forgo this great opportunity and not fight when their enemies were right in front of them. But fortunately, the three listened to him.

Shersha seemed to be of the same mind, and she spoke again. “The future…changed to what I wanted…But not…for you…”

Chi-Woo furrowed. What was she saying?

“The future you wanted…didn’t change…”

“What does that mean?”

“You simply…received a postponement…” Shersha’s voice sounded ready to break. She lowered her gaze like she couldn’t bear to look Chi-Woo straight in the eye and continued, “I’m sure…I told you in the future…A definite future…can never change…”

Yes, that was what she told him. But Chi-Woo looked back and saw the holy city protected by a strong godly territory. Forces from the demon empire were being mercilessly killed there. How could Shersha say that the future hadn’t changed at all then?

“But…we still bought some time…” Shersha continued. “So…it’s my turn this time…if you can help me…”

Chi-Woo chewed on his lower lip. He wanted to ask Shersha what in the world she meant and that she should just tell him everything. But Chi-Woo also knew she couldn’t do that, and she was telling him everything she could tell him within her means.

“Before that…there’s something. I want to ask you…” Shersha asked. “What…are you…going to do to Liber…?” It was an unexpected question. “And are you going to extinguish us…? Or…are you going to keep the law of balance…and let us live under that law…?”

It seemed Shersha had come to this place to ask Chi-Woo this single question.

“Why…?” Of course, Chi-Woo couldn’t make heads or tails of what Shersha was saying. Shersha spoke as if he had the authority and ability to make such a decision while he currently had no such power.

“Think hard…” Shersha spoke like she was appeasing him. “In the future you saw…remember what happened…at the end...” What would’ve happened if she had let Chi-Woo be in the future?

‘Well...’ Chi-Woo suddenly recalled the time he broke through his limits and awakened. It had been the most dangerous time among the three futures he went to. If it wasn’t for Shersha, Chi-Woo wouldn’t have been able to return to the present. Instead, he would explode just like that and turn Shalyh city into ashes.

‘Wait.’ As soon as Chi-Woo thought of the ashes, another scene came to his mind. In the first future where nothing remained, he was the only one standing… ‘No way.’ Chi-Woo thought of one possibility of what could’ve happened. If the one who caused that scene wasn’t the Demon Empire, but…

“…” Chi-Woo realized that his hands were shaking. When he looked at Shersha, she was staring at him with a hardened look on her face.

After confirming Chi-Woo’s reaction, Shersha asked, “So would you…let us live…?” It was a question Chi-Woo had heard before. “Would you…let us go…safely…?”

Chi-Woo couldn’t answer. The truth he had sensed and been ignoring was rising to the surface now. His head was in a mess.

“I don’t have much time…” Shersha’s faint voice trembled as she felt her powers dwindle bit by bit. She sounded nervous. “Quickly…”

It was then a loud explosion pierced through the air and shook the earth. Bam! Chi-Woo’s body shook, but he soon recollected his senses.

“…Yes.”

When Chi-Woo regained his balance, he heard a familiar voice.

“I suppose it was bound to happen in the end.” Stomp, stomp. As the footsteps became louder, Astarte’s face grew paler, and even Shersha’s eyes looked fearful. Chi-Woo felt a similar feeling. Usually, this man would’ve been the person Chi-Woo would’ve depended on and trusted the most, but that wasn’t the case today.

“You took the shortcut…but you still did good work.” Chi-Woo felt a figure approach him and place a hand on his head. Chi-Woo’s breath hitched, and he looked slightly to the side and saw his brother’s tired face. It was Chi-Hyun.