Chapter 261

Chapter 261
## Chapter 261: The Spear of Longinus

It was surreal.

The idea that I would actually tread upon the soil of Pangaea while still inhabiting the identity of Park Hyunmyeong was staggering.

‘This defies every expectation.’

I had never truly anticipated this. Perhaps I had entertained the stray thought in passing, but I never believed such a whim would manifest as reality.

Because of this, I forced myself to sharpen my focus immediately. There is an old saying that even in the jaws of a predator, one can find a way to live if their mind remains clear.

‘A resident of Pangaea can travel to Earth via a Warp of Invasion.’

Now, the tables had turned completely. A resident of Earth had crossed over to Pangaea.

The complication lay in the rules of the System. It designated any Pangaean entity entering Earth through a ‘Warp of Invasion’ as an ‘Enemy.’ In those instances, didn’t the System alert every player with a command to ‘slay’ the interloper?

I scanned my environment, maintaining a high state of alertness.

Woooong!

Suddenly, a pulse of energy struck my chest.

‘What is this…?’

Looking down, I saw a necklace resting against my skin. The ‘spearhead’ at its center was pulsing with intense vibrations.

《‘The Broken Spear of Longinus’ has been activated.》
《You are granted the ability to perform a ‘Dimensional Leap’ via ‘The Broken Spear of Longinus.’》
《Objective: Complete ‘The Broken Spear of Longinus.’》
《A component of the weapon is in the vicinity.》

This was the prize I had claimed from the Island of God. The notifications appearing before me confirmed that the ‘Broken Spear of Longinus’ was the catalyst for this event.

‘Restore the Spear of Longinus… so this was Gabriel’s true intent.’

Archangel Gabriel. It was clear now why she had cast me out. She had given me an object capable of literal inter-dimensional travel. I couldn’t even fathom the power it might wield once it was made whole again.

Furthermore.

Kureung!
Kung! Kung!

A massive column of soldiers thundered through the heart of the Holy City.

“From where are the Knights of Lu returning?” I inquired of a merchant nearby.

The Knights of Lu were among the premier military orders of the Goddess Cult, a force dedicated exclusively to the prosecution of a ‘Holy War.’ Their current return seemed marked by a desperate urgency.

The merchant looked at me with a curious expression.

“You clearly aren’t a local of the Holy City.”

“Correct. I only recently arrived from the provinces on a pilgrimage.”

I offered the most unremarkable, safe explanation possible. Adrium was the Holy City of the Goddess Cult, and the influx of pilgrims was so vast that a stranger from the countryside drew little suspicion.

The merchant nodded understandingly.

“I see. Then you are likely aware of the conflict that recently erupted between the ‘Balrog Cult’ and the ‘Goddess Cult’?”

“I have heard of it.”

It was impossible to miss. The struggle between the Balrog Cult and the Goddess Cult was the most explosive news across Pangaea. The world was in shock because of the unexpected turn of events; everyone had assumed the Balrog Cult would be annihilated instantly.

Instead, the opening clash was a disaster for the establishment. The Goddess Cult had suffered heavy losses in manpower, including the deaths of a Cardinal and a Saintess. Debates raged over how a fledgling sect could muster such devastating strength. In response, the Goddess Cult was liquidating all available assets to fund a total holy war. In the chaos of these shifts, the Council of Eight Heroes had been dismantled.

Regardless.

‘The Balrog Cult is being bankrolled by the Evil God Cult.’

I was certain of it. I was likely the only person in this city who knew the truth.

‘The spirits of the fallen Cardinal and Saintess were present at the Evil God Cult’s feast.’

…The Golden Fox. The woman behind the fox mask had displayed their souls at that gathering. She was undoubtedly the primary benefactor of the Balrog Cult—or perhaps other high-ranking members of the Evil God Cult were working alongside her.

“I don’t have the specifics, but word is they’ve identified how those heretics managed to strike down the Cardinal-nim and the Saintess-nim.”

“They found the cause?”

“Who can say for sure? But how else could a nobody group like the Balrog Cult defy the Goddess Cult? They must have struck a bargain with a devil.”

A bargain with a devil. That wasn’t far from the mark. But if the Evil God Cult was the true architect, why use the Balrog Cult as a proxy to fight the Goddess Cult? Was it a strategy to suppress the Goddess Cult’s influence?

‘That is likely the motive.’

What was undeniable was that ‘something’ significant was being transported in that procession.

“Look, the Saintesses!”
“It is Saintess Ra!”
“Aie-nim!”
“Oh, their grace is breathtaking!”

Suddenly, the crowd dropped to the ground, bowing their heads and raising their hands in a display of profound devotion. In the center of the column, two Saintesses had appeared, flanking an object obscured by a large shroud.

Saintess Ra and Saintess Aie. Seeing these two iconic figures of the Goddess Cult together was a rare occurrence.

I followed the crowd’s lead, assuming a reverent posture while subtly peering upward.

Woooong! Woooong!

The Broken Spear of Longinus was now vibrating with violent intensity.

…Underneath that shroud lay a piece of the spear. More accurately, it was ‘something’ that held a fragment within it.

‘What is hidden under there?’

I couldn’t be sure. The object was at least five meters tall, but the cloth blocked all visual confirmation. Moreover, it was a specialized fabric designed to nullify magical sensing and clairvoyance.

And yet…

How could I describe this feeling?

‘Why does this feel so familiar?’

Watching the shrouded shape caused a tightening in my chest. I didn’t understand the connection, but I felt an instinctive bond with whatever was inside.

At that moment, more text materialized in my vision.

《‘Protection of Archangel Gabriel’ – Ability to locate and converse with other Archangels is active.》
《‘Great Transmission’ – You are capable of ‘Forging’ a Hidden Class.》
《‘Paradox of Fate (1)’ – The closer you get to ‘Randolph,’ the more the essence of ‘Park Hyunmyeong’ diminishes.》
《‘Paradox of Fate (2)’ – If your nature as a ‘non-native of this world’ is discovered, your existence will be erased.》

The Archangel’s blessing was now in effect, alongside several other active conditions.

‘The Paradox of Fate… I have to stay in the shadows.’

In this state, I couldn’t risk interacting with my alternate personas, and certainly not Randolph. Any entity tied to Randolph posed a threat to my stability. The erasure of one’s existence meant total non-existence. This was clearly the toll required for the leap between worlds.

However, one detail stood out above the rest.

‘An Archangel is present within the Holy City.’

Gabriel’s Protection wouldn’t have flared so sharply without cause. It meant another Archangel, a peer to Gabriel, was within Adrium. I suspected each Archangel offered a unique form of ‘Protection.’

If my theory held…

‘The path to being cleansed of the Fragments of Destruction lies in gathering the Protection of the Archangels.’

I felt a surge of certainty. The protective aura I had sensed from Lyca felt strikingly similar to the energy of Gabriel’s blessing.

‘Lyca was granted the Protection of an Archangel.’

And the fallen Archangel I had encountered within the Evil God Cult likely played a role in this grand design as well. The internal logic was finally clicking into place. My path was set.

‘Obtain the Protection of every Archangel and mend the Spear of Longinus.’

That was the mission for Park Hyunmyeong.

—

The arid settlement of Paisalmer.

Isabella arrived at the city gates.

“Th-The Queen?”

The Barbarians were stunned. It was natural for them to be shocked; the heir to the Desert Queen had returned without a word of warning.

“Quiet. I want to enter without fanfare.”

Isabella pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for discretion.

“As you command.”

Under a hushed guard, she began her entry. Isabella took a deep breath. It felt as if an eternity had passed since she was last here. After all her travels, she had circled back to this desert outpost. Perhaps her true home wasn’t with the Dercian family, but right here in Paisalmer.

‘Even during my first encounter with Randolph-nim, I was searching for my origins.’

She thought back to meeting Randolph. He had been among the broken remnants of the army following the disaster of the Great Expedition.

Initially, her goal was his death. The Desert Queen had commanded it, and her word was law.

However, everything shifted when Randolph addressed her by her full name and identified himself as a ‘Stigmata.’ He represented a door leading out of her bleak existence.

‘If I hadn’t fled with Randolph-nim then…’

She cut the thought short. The alternative was too dark to contemplate. She would likely be a corpse. The Desert Queen’s ultimate aim was the invocation of the ‘Blood Demon King,’ a ritual for which she had tainted the entire city. Isabella would have been nothing more than fuel for that corruption.

More than that.

‘I never would have realized that my obsession with my lineage was a mistake.’

Her roots. The Dercian house of the Empire. She never truly belonged there, nor did she truly wish to. This place, despite its flaws, was better. It was a place of deception, yes, but it held her history.

‘Sonora.’

She thought of Sonora and their shared past.

Isabella looked down at the slumbering Randolph and smiled.

‘…A person of immeasurable value.’

Randolph was her savior, though even that title felt inadequate. Her life truly began the moment they met. Had she stayed behind or refused to follow him, she would have lived out her days in a narrow, regretful world.

“We have reached the palace, Queen.”

A guard’s voice pulled her back to the present. Isabella gave her orders.

“Inform the household of my return, but clear the palace. I will hold the formal audiences tomorrow.”

“We obey!”

The Barbarian escort entered the structure, and soon, the staff began to filter out. Once the palace was empty, Isabella gently lifted Randolph onto her back and began the ascent up the stairs.

Reaching the royal bedchamber, she settled him onto the bed.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

She tucked the covers around him, lingering for a moment to watch him sleep before her face hardened into a mask of resolve. It was time to deal with the past.

She knew exactly where the previous Desert Queen had hidden the chamber linked to the Abyss.

‘It lies beneath the palace foundations.’

There was a reinforced entrance in the basement. Beyond that door was the link to the Abyss—the nightmare where Sonora and the other children had been discarded.

Isabella moved with purpose toward the study. She manipulated the statues on the perimeter wall, aligning their gazes until they all faced a single point.

Kureung!

A hidden mechanism triggered, revealing a staircase to the lower levels. Isabella descended into the earth for what felt like miles. At the end of the dark corridor, a massive slab of stone blocked the path.

‘On the other side…’

Sonora was there. She had to be. Taking a final, steadying breath, Isabella pushed against the stone door.

Kureureung!

The heavy door groaned across the floor, and Isabella stepped into the space beyond.

“Ah…”

Her face went pale, her blood running cold.

‘This is it. This is where… we were.’

The room was exactly as it appeared in her nightmares—the place where children were forced into cannibalism to survive. Isabella walked forward, her feet following the path of her memories.

“Sonora?”

Her anxiety spiked. Sonora was missing from the shadows. Even if she had remained a hybrid or had died after their last fight, her body should have been here. But the room was empty.

“Sonora!”

She screamed the name, but only the hollow ring of her own voice answered.

‘Please.’

She began to run, checking every corner, terrified she had overlooked something.

‘Where have you gone, Sonora?’

Her frantic search yielded nothing.

Thud!

Isabella collapsed to her knees. Her body shook with grief. She was too late. To find not even a trace of her friend felt like a betrayal. How could she ever face Sonora in the next life?

‘What is this mark?’

She noticed a small detail. A scrap of fabric lay on the floor, marked with a specific symbol: a large, dark circle. She couldn’t decipher its meaning.

“…It’s a distinctive sign of the Balrog Cult. They call it the ‘Black Spot.’”

“Randolph-nim…!”

Startled by the voice, Isabella spun around to see Randolph standing there, no longer asleep.

‘I see now.’

The pieces finally fell into place. The shrouded object in the Holy City that had felt so familiar.

‘Sonora.’

Sonora was in Adrium, the capital of the Goddess Cult.

…And she was the one carrying the Spear of Longinus.