<h4>Chapter 323 - Atonement (1)</h4>


    “That was so much fun, Kang-Woo,” Echidna said as she held Oh Kang-Woo’s hand while smiling.


    Time flew by when having fun; It had be dark before they had realized it, and stores were closing one after another. Their time in Akihabara hade to an end.


    Kang-Woo smirked while nodding. Although he had been a little bewildered by the maid cafe they had visited in the beginning, he had a much better time afterward.


    “Let’se again next time,” he said as he gently stroked Echidna’s hair.


    “Okay!” Echidna answered brightly.


    Seeing her radiant smile eased Kang-Woo’s mind.


    “Shall we go home?” he expressed.


    Although he had mentioned passportsst time, they had not flown here; after all, they could literally go anywhere in the world through the Hall of Protection via Gates that had been installed all over the world. Kang-Woo went to an area with no people to open a Gate leading to the Hall of Protection. Just then, Echidna hugged his arm as if dangling on it.


    “... Thank you,” she said softly while smiling, “If it weren’t for you... I would’ve never known happiness like this, Kang-Woo.”


    Kang-Woo turned his head to look down at her. Her smile momentarily felt extremely beautiful to him.


    “...”


    Kang-Woo scratched his cheek. He was not used to feeling such emotions.


    “... Let’s go home.”


    “Okay!"


    Echidna held his hand even tighter. Although Kang-Woo was not used to such a feeling, it did not feel bad at all.


    ***


    The day after his trip with Echidna, Kang-Woo arrived at the Hall of Protection after getting a call from Kim Si-Hun. Si-Hun, who had juste out of the training room, looked haggard.


    “What’s up with your face?” Kang-Woo asked while frowning.


    If a superhuman like Si-Hun was in such terrible condition, it meant that it was about something serious.


    “... Hyung-nim,” Si-Hun called with a trembling voice. He bit his lip while on the verge of tears. “I called you because... I would like to ask you something.”


    “... What is it?”


    “Lady Gaia probably doesn’t know this, but... You used to be a demon, right?”


    “Yeah, I used to be.”


    Kang-Woo actually was still a demon, although Si-Hun thought that Kang-Woo had returned to being a human after bing the apostle of the God of Heroes.


    “Is it dangerous even for a former demon... to be encroached by demonic energy?”


    Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo with desperation, hoping for him to answer <i>no</i>.


    <i>‘Aha.’</i>


    Kang-Woo finally understood why Si-Hun was so haggard.


    <i>‘Cute little bastard.’</i>


    Si-Hun had been worried about him. Kang-Woo fell into thought while suppressing the corners of his mouth from curling up.


    <i>‘How should I handle this?’</i>


    He thought whether or not he should specially tell Si-Hun, who had be aplete mess, but lightly shook his head.


    <i>‘Si-Hun is too close to La.’</i>


    After Grace McCubbin had be the public leader of Guardians, Si-Hun had been staying in the Hall of Protection and assisting La in her ce. Although La no longer needed protection now that Gaia had regained her power, Si-Hun still assisted her for various things in the Hall of Protection.


    <i>‘I feel sorry for Si-Hun, but...’</i>


    He could not afford to shoulder the risk of the truth being exposed in this situation.


    “... Yeah. My body has practically be that of a human,” Kang-Woo answered.


    “Th-Then, if the encroachment of demonic energy continues, will you be a demon... like before?”


    “No.” Kang-Woo shook his head in sorrow.


    Si-Hun’s face paled. There were only two oues for a human that had been encroached by demonic energy. If they did not be a demon...


    “A-Are you saying... You’ll be a demonic beast?”


    Si-Hun now knew the difference between demons and demonic beasts very well. Demons possessed intelligence, but demonic beasts...


    “I’m not sure either, but considering the symptoms... It’s likely,” Kang-Woo replied while smiling bitterly.


    “Th-That can’t be!”


    Si-Hun quickly approached Kang-Woo and grabbed his shoulders. His head was in jumbles.


    <i>‘Wh-Why...?’</i>


    Why did Kang-Woo of all people have to endure such suffering? Si-Hun knew how difficult to endure the encroachment of demonic energy was, since he also had the seed of Satan within him once.


    <i>‘After all that hyung had sacrificed...’</i>


    Kang-Woo had sacrificed more than anyone else to protect Earth, so why...? Si-Hun grit his teeth. The shame of being powerless, sympathy toward Kang-Woo, and his rage toward Rakiel for causing all of this intermingled and heated his mind. Among the countless emotions swirling in his heart, there was just one emotion that stood out among the others.


    ‘Why... didn’t you tell me?” Si-Hun asked.


    “...”


    “That angel knew! He even said that you two searched for Rakiel together! So... So why...?”


    It could have been jealousy, or a sense of inferiority; the thought of him being worth less to Kang-Woo than an arrogant angel caused him to have strange thoughts.


    <i>‘Did he... trust that angel more than me?’</i>


    If that hadn’t been the case, there was no way that only Uriel would have known about Kang-Woo’s condition. Si-Hun bit his lip while trembling. He knew that the emotion he was feeling was childish, but...


    “Why... Why didn’t you tell me?”


    It was difficult to suppress his overflowing emotions.


    “I...! I can also...!”


    Si-Hun could also protect Kang-Woo; he had worked extremely hard to grow stronger to be able to protect his hyung. No matter how difficult the training was or how life-threatening the danger he was in, he had endured it all with the pure thought of wanting to repay Kang-Woo.


    “... Si-Hun.” Kang-Woo looked at Si-Hun in sorrow. He carefully grabbed Si-Hun’s hands that were on his shoulders. “I want you to be happy. I want you to smile without a care in the world.”


    “Hyung...”


    “Although we’re not rted by blood, I still consider you to be my little brother.” Kang-Woo smiled while patting Si-Hun’s shoulder. “Big brothers don’t rely on their little brothers.”


    Kang-Woo turned away from Si-Hun, who was staring at him nkly.


    “You don’t look too well. Training is done best in moderation. Overtraining will only hurt you.”


    Kang-Woo walked away while waving. <i>ck</i>. He closed the door.


    ***


    “Urpp!”


    Kang-Woo crouched while covering his mouth at home aftering out of the Hall of Protection.


    <i>‘Aaarrrggghhh.’</i>


    He was cringing so hard that he felt like he was about to be shriveled up into oblivion.


    “Bleeeeegghh,” Kang-Woo retched while having his hand on a wall. “Haaa, haaa.”


    Those lines had been disgusting, even for him.


    <i>‘It wasn’t like I could tell him that I’d done it to corrupt Uriel.’</i>


    He had absolutely no logical exnation for his actions, having left him no choice but to rely on emotions instead.


    “But well...”


    Kang-Woo had taken a peek at Si-Hun’s expression right when the door was about to fully close; it seemed like the emotional operation had been a sess.


    <i>‘He looked like some maiden in love.’</i>


    That was how moved Si-hun had been.


    “Urgh, I won’t be able to look Si-Hun in the eyes for a while.”


    Those cringey lines would pop up in Kang-Woo’s head every time he saw Si-Hun, so there was no way that he would be able to endure the cringe.


    <i>Vrrrr.</i>


    Just then, Kang-Woo’s smartphone vibrated. Speaking of the Devil, it was Si-Hun.


    “What the hell is it now?”


    Si-Hun had not had enough of the cringe lines and called him again. Kang-Woo frowned.


    “Fuck...”


    He shut his eyes tight. He wanted nothing more than to ghost on everyone and vanish along with Han Seol-Ah, but he couldn’t afford to ignore the call.


    <i>‘Why me...?’</i>


    Kang-Woo answered the call with a trembling hand.


    “Yeah, Si-Hun?”


    [H-Hyung-nim!]


    “...?”


    Si-Hun was acting in a waypletely different from his expectations. Kang-Woo would have yeeted his smartphone if Si-Hun had called him to say something cheesy like he could rely on him, but that did not seem to be the case. He seemed to be shocked by something.


    “What’s wrong?”


    [H-He appeared... in the H-Hall of Protection.]


    “He?” Kang-Woo frowned.


    [R-Rakiel! Rakiel hase to the Hall of Protection all by himself!]


    “...!”


    Kang-Woo’s eyes widened.


    <i>‘What?’</i>


    Why would Rakiel be there? Kang-Woo cut the call and quickly called Lilith.


    “Lilith!”


    <i>- My, what’s wrong, my king?</i>


    “Where... Where’s Lucis?!”


    <i>- He’s right next to me.</i>


    “... What?”


    Kang-Woo’s voice trembled.


    <i>‘What the hell?’</i>


    If it was neither Lucis or Kang-Woo...


    “Could it be... The real Rakiel?”


    Kang-Woo clenched his hair inplete chaos.


    <i>‘Why would he just barge in out of nowhere?’</i>


    There was only one reason why the Constetion of Corruption would appear in the Hall of Protection, where Gaia’s incarnation was.


    <i>‘Holy fuck.’</i>


    Leaving aside how Rakiel had managed to find the Hall of Protection, he had just barged in through the front door without giving them any time to prepare. Kang-Woo had known that the seal on Rakiel was weakening and that he would being to Earth in the near future, but he had never expected him to act so rashly.


    <i>‘I should...’</i>


    As Kang-Woo was about to head to the Hall of Protection right away, he stopped in his tracks.


    “Wait.”


    His eyes narrowed. The gears in his head turned rapidly.


    <i>‘Something doesn’t add up.’</i>


    No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t make much sense of Rakiel’s actions. If he had known toe to the Hall of Protection, he would have also known that it was Guardians headquarters. Despite that, he had walked in all by himself with no subordinates to assist him. Worst of all, Gaia’s incarnation was in that Hall of Protection.


    <i>‘Wait a fucking minute.’</i>


    Unsettling thoughts swirled around his head. He bit his lip in anxiety.


    “Kang-Woo? What’s wrong?” Seol-Ah asked while opening his room door anding in.


    Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ah’s hand and said, “Darling, I don’t have time to exin, but I need you to follow me for a second.”


    This was not the time to take one’s time to exin matters. Seol-Ah expressed confusion, but nodded in silence. The two of them headed to the Hall of Protection.


    There was Gaia, who was exuding immense energy as if she had already manifested within La, Si-Hun, who was already assuming a fighting stance with Ludwig in hand, and...


    “O Goddess of the earth.” There was a ck-winged angel kneeling in front of Gaia. “I havee to atone for my sins.”


    Rakiel ced his head on the floor. Kang-Woo grabbed his head in panic. The worst-case scenario he had pictured in his mind was happening before his very eyes.


    <i>‘Fucking son of a bitch.’</i>


    This was not good at all.


    <i>‘Shit.’</i>


    Kang-Woo grimaced from the unexpected turn of events. He red at Rakiel with sunken eyes.


    <i>‘You want to atone for your sins?’</i>


    The corners of his mouth curled up, and he licked his lips.


    <i>‘Over my dead body.’</i>