Chapter 45
CHAPTER 45
Hades (2)
"...You're going to summon it right here? And if it's Persephone, won't that just make Delreira even more furious?"
Ju-Heon nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He needed to obtain Demeter's artifact...
...and rebuild the city.
"That's exactly why it's perfect."
"You seriously think that makes sen—"
Ju-Heon lightly tapped the ground, cutting her off.
"Alright, then. Lend me one Summon Ticket."
"Let's summon the Persephone artifact. I had Persephone in my artifact vault too."
He held out his hand toward Cynthia.
She frowned in displeasure.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha's eyes widened.
"Alright. The price for the Summon Ticket is—"
"The hell are you talking about?"
"I'm the owner of this city now."
The system window answered for her.
Cynthia rubbed her forehead.
He asked to borrow it... but he actually meant he wanted it for free?
[Summon Ticket available.]
[Condition met: Summoning within owned territory.]
Still...
With the city in this state, she had no real choice.
Ju-Heon smirked.
"Good. One ticket—"
"Two."
"Right now the city's dead because it's the winter season."
"So if we summon Persephone, it'll forcibly change everything to summer."
"Then we'll simply resurrect the city itself."
Cynthia felt her blood pressure rising even higher.
In the end, Ju-Heon successfully extorted two tickets and activated one of them.
She stared at him blankly.
"Using Summon Ticket."
"...You're really... going to rebuild the city?"
Ju-Heon shrugged.
[Target: Persephone]
- Manifest Persephone, Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring.
"I'm an expert at destroying things."
"But from here on..."
He unfolded the ticket.
Shadows swirled together as blue flames burst into existence.
Ju-Heon smiled wickedly while waiting for Persephone to appear.
Then—
"...Huh?"
"Your Majesty Queen, it's your turn."
The ticket didn't even tear open.
Instead, it blackened and burned away as warning messages appeared.
[Summoning initiated — Persephone]
[Preparing seasonal transition.]
The city rapidly began alternating between light and darkness.
Then—
[Warning. Summoning impossible.]
[Target not present within World B-187487.]
[Target artifact has been forcibly transferred to another worldline (Delreira's domain).]
[Only artifacts currently within World B-187487 can be summoned.]
[Majesty-exclusive Summon Ticket consumed.]
Ju-Heon's eyebrow twitched.
Watching from beside him, Yu Jae-ha chuckled.
"So she took everything."
The realization spread murderous intent throughout the city.
Yu Jae-ha laughed again.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't tell me you drew a blank."
"No."
"It was stolen."
"That's rough."
"Without the Queen, rebuilding the city isn't happening."
He was right.
When Delreira had invaded Ju-Heon's worldline, she hadn't merely spread infection—
She had also stolen the Persephone artifact.
At last, Ju-Heon's Persephone Summon Ticket burned into ashes in midair.
He laughed in irritation.
"You thieving little cat."
So attacking Zeus had only been a diversion...?
Apparently Delreira had stolen both the Persephone artifact...
...and Demeter's vessel artifact.
"Hah."
"She stole my stuff?"
"That's a problem."
"If Delreira's hiding inside her own territory, dragging her out won't be easy."
"So you can't force her out?"
"No."
"Do you have any idea how troublesome Majesties become once they go into hiding?"
"Tracking them is nearly impossible."
At Yu Jae-ha's mocking remark, Ju-Heon swung Hades' staff.
Flash!
"Track Persephone."
"Hades."
"You can do that, can't you?"
"Then let's establish a law."
"A law?"
[It is possible.]
Ju-Heon answered without hesitation.
"Yeah."
"I knew you'd be able to."
"You damn stalker."
"Wherever my property is..."
"...is my territory."
"...!"
It was complete nonsense.
But in Ju-Heon's world...
That nonsense became precedent.
And precedent became law.
A pillar of black light shot into the sky.
The shadows exploded outward.
Ignoring buildings and roads alike, they stretched forward in a perfectly straight line—
A black highway.
The shortest route connecting the territories of death.
The shadow was expected to cross into Demeter's worldline.
Instead...
It descended somewhere within this very World of Dionysus.
Ju-Heon raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Then, as though realizing something, he said something completely unexpected.
"Hey."
"Wine girl."
"You haven't been collecting rent all this time, have you?"
"...What?"
"Rent?"
"I'm saying..."
"That bastard Delreira..."
"...has been living in your city the whole time."
"...?!"
This went far beyond simple cooperation.
At this point, it was practically a regency.
All this time, without even realizing it, Cynthia had been offering people to Delreira every month under the pretense of taxes...
She covered her eyes in disbelief.
"Delreira... was actually living in this world?"
Yu Jae-ha let out a low whistle.
"So this city..."
"I thought it was my kingdom."
"Turns out I was just a tenant farmer."
"Wow."
"The intention behind this is painfully obvious."
It was the voice of someone finally realizing their own ignorance, regret, and despair.
Ju-Heon only laughed.
Cynthia stood there in complete shock.
No matter how she looked at it...
Another Majesty had been hiding inside her own city all along.
"If you've got time to cry, grab some tools."
"It's only proper to tear down illegal construction."
The shadows deepened.
An endless stretch of farmland.
Delreira smiled triumphantly.
"At last..."
"I can use the Demeter artifact perfectly!"
During Winter, it granted powers such as death, disease, and blight.
During Summer, it could nurture life and produce abundance.
It was an incredibly prosperous authority.
However...
Using its Summer abilities required possessing Persephone's artifact.
That had always been impossible because Persephone's artifact remained in Ju-Heon's worldline.
She had always been mocked as only being "half-complete."
But now...
At last...
She was whole.
By stealing from Seo Ju-Heon's world...
She had completed the Demeter artifact.
And on top of that...
She had obtained Persephone's artifact as well.
"Now..."
"I can finally ascend too...!"
Then—
The soil beneath her feet turned into shadows.
It's finished!
"...?"
The Demeter artifact possessed both Winter and Summer authorities—
But black hands erupted from beneath the earth, grabbing hold of the fields.
"If you're going to steal someone else's property..."
"...you shouldn't leave your front door unlocked."
CRACK!!
Ju-Heon laughed.
The entire plain split apart.
Its color drained away.
The golden wheat fields instantly withered into lifeless gray.
Even the sky seemed to sink lower.
Only then did Delreira realize...
This wasn't an attack.
Sure enough, Ju-Heon's voice echoed throughout her entire world.
"Alright."
"I'm taking your Demeter artifact..."
"Your Persephone artifact..."
"And even that Dionysus artifact you're shamelessly claiming ownership of."
Delreira clenched her teeth.
"Hey."
"You little thief."
The farmland was farmland no longer.
The golden fields created through Persephone's artifact had been forcibly annexed into the soil of the Underworld.
Finally...
The voice of the one responsible descended directly before her.
"How dare you...!"
But Delreira soon laughed.
Under her command, Dionysus' authority began to run wild.
"Don't misunderstand, Seo Ju-Heon."
"The true master here isn't you."
"You think you've conquered this city?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"No matter how hard you struggle..."
"You're the tenant farmer."
"I'm the true lord of this city."
Her mocking voice echoed over and over.
"When that useless fool Dionysus stayed drunk without knowing anything..."
"Who do you think completed this entire system?"
"While that idiot landowner was wasting away..."
"I was the one acting as the city's true master."
[Delreira activates the Dionysus artifact, the city's core.]
[A pleasant intoxication transforms into a crushing hangover.]
[Primary Effect: Oblivion]
In an instant...
Pieces of Ju-Heon's memories began slipping away.
As Delreira flicked a finger, space distorted.
She had learned how to operate this city directly from Bitrain, the one who designed it.
Cynthia had merely inherited that knowledge from Delreira.
Names.
Memories.
Judgment.
Everything became blurred.
His thoughts dulled.
Even the reason he was standing here began fading away.
Ju-Heon's vision grew hazy.
But—
There wasn't even time to ask what was happening.
[Attempting to apply Oblivion.]
[Failed.]
[Reason: Target's mental state exceeds acceptable parameters.]
[Madness Level: 99 → 100 (MAX)]
[Critical Threshold Reached.]
"...What?"
"What is this...?"
Delreira's eyes widened.
For a moment...
It felt as though every sound had vanished.
As if the system itself had simply given up.
As though it were saying,
"I can't handle this madman anymore."
Ju-Heon let out a quiet chuckle.
Delreira instinctively stepped backward.
"...One hundred?"
"What the—"
Only then did Ju-Heon truly look at her.
"...Huh."
"Funny."
"You called it Oblivion."
"But instead of forgetting..."
"Why do I keep wanting to rip your head off?"
He grinned.
"Looks like things aren't going the way you expected."
"...What?"
At that instant—
[You are intoxicated by overwhelming madness.]
[Madness Power: 100]
[Status: Excluded from the category of 'Normal.']
Within Delreira's world...
The very definition of "normal" was shattered.