The enormous golden tree in the painting before his eyes, and the Cult Leader’s words, tangled Cha Seohu’s thoughts into a knot.
“...What?”
His voice was full of disbelief.
Without realizing it, Cha Seohu scratched at his forehead.
“Hundreds of times... what?”
Seeing his dubious reaction, the Cult Leader smiled as though he had expected no less.
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Of course it is. But this is the truth, and the truth itself.”
The Cult Leader began to move slowly. Walking up to the massive painting hanging on the wall, he raised a hand toward it and spoke.
“This world is no different from a great tree. From the roots to the trunk is the origin, and the branches spreading outward are the countless flows of time.”
“And when a branch stretches out, and the world is destroyed? It returns to the trunk, and a new branch extends out again. In that way, time has been turned back to a predetermined past hundreds of times. Without even realizing it, we have been given many chances and are living new lives.”
“Death? It is nothing.”
Lowering his hand and clasping both hands loosely in front of himself, the Cult Leader smiled gently.
“Now there are two paths open to us. If your life was already ruined before the branch could fully extend, then by dying you can find peace. And if that isn’t the case, then all the better. After dying, you need only wait comfortably until you return to the trunk again. Just as if you were sleeping.”
“Wow.”
Cha Seohu let out the short exclamation.
“So... to sum it up, you’re saying you make use of time turning back? No, in this case, is it death you make use of?”
“You could say both.”
The Cult Leader spoke in a mild voice.
“Why is it that people fear death? Endless separation. That’s what it is. They can no longer see the people they love, they lose what they cherish, and they cannot have a future. On the other hand, the people who choose death themselves do so because all of those things have already lost their meaning.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Death is no longer something to fear or avoid. Rather, it is something to use, and to welcome with joy.”
As the stream of bullshit continued, Cha Seohu let it go in one ear and out the other while thinking,
'How the hell did this bastard find out that time resets?'
He had never expected to hear the same thing Chronos had drilled into him over and over from the Cult Leader of all people.
Honestly, after coming all the way here, he was already irritated enough just hearing something he already knew.
Still, there was one new point.
The Cult Leader was aware that time reset.
'Even I only learned that this world had already gone through countless time reversals because Chronos told me after I regressed. So how the hell did this bastard find out?'
Cha Seohu lifted his head.
As his gaze rose above the Cult Leader’s head, the massive painting came into view.
A single huge tree, blazing with golden brilliance.
Whatever had been done to the painting, the tree shone with dazzling presence even under the sparse lighting.
'...I’m sure of it. It’s identical.'
This time, Cha Seohu checked the mark Chronos had carved into him.
The symbol visible only to his own eyes.
The sign that Chronos and Cha Seohu were connected, and the token of his promise that if Cha Seohu’s life was ever in danger, Chronos would come help him.
'A connection between Chronos and these cult freaks? Yeah, not impossible. Chronos is the one who turned time back hundreds of times to catch these bastards in the first place.'
First, he needed to squeeze out as much information as possible.
Having made up his mind, Cha Seohu replied in a dry tone.
“Great sermon. So? Why are you explaining all this to me?”
Without letting down his guard around the longsword the Cult Leader still held, he added with a sneer,
“You didn’t just tell me for free either. You dragged me all the way to this special place and even showed me a fancy painting. You’re putting in a lot of effort.”
“You’re not just anyone, Mr. Cha Seohu. This much is only natural.”
“Only natural, huh.”
Letting out a hollow laugh, Cha Seohu looked around.
The towering ceiling. The temple-like hall supported by gigantic pillars that looked as though they belonged in Greek mythology. The perfectly healthy people kneeling motionless in the darkness.
“Why? What exactly is so natural? Is this how you treat the nuisance who’s been ruining your plans one by one? Since you spent all that time explaining how wonderful death is, is this the part where you tell me to die too?”
“If you are willing to die, then of course I would help you.”
The Cult Leader smiled pleasantly.
“I know eighty-two ways for a person to die peacefully and without pain.”
“But you’re not, are you? If you were someone with no attachment to life, you wouldn’t be moving around so actively. And I like that. Mr. Cha Seohu, that vitality of yours.”
Vitality?
At the rather unpleasant choice of words, Cha Seohu narrowed his eyes.
“Is that supposed to be a compliment? Thanks.”
“It is a compliment. The highest praise I can offer.”
It was then that Cha Seohu sensed something in the flow of the air had changed.
But he could not identify the cause. Even when he looked around, nothing seemed different.
As Cha Seohu’s eyes moved sharply across the space, the Cult Leader, standing across from him, watched and smiled faintly.
“Mr. Cha Seohu, did you know?”
A tiny sound reached him—the almost imperceptible noise of a flame on a candleholder going out.
Cha Seohu’s gaze snapped behind him. Confusion surfaced on his face as he stared back toward the corridor he had come through.
'That part...'
Had it originally been that dark?
The kneeling believers and the thick pillars were no longer visible, swallowed by the dense darkness.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
“There are not many people like you. Righteous, passionate, kind. A being overflowing with vitality.”
The moment those words ended, the candle burning beside the painting went out.
Part of the Cult Leader’s smiling face was veiled in shadow, turning it grotesque.
“Death is an equal and peaceful refuge for everyone, but it would be such a waste for you to walk that path.”
Cha Seohu sucked in a breath and hurriedly pulled a sword from his inventory.
Just as the flashing blade was about to pierce the Cult Leader’s body—
“I will make excellent use of it. That perfect vitality.”
Something cold and viscous came pouring down over his head.
What poured from the towering ceiling was a pitch-black liquid.
No—a shadow, like smoke.
The black substance, whatever it was, was crushingly heavy. Cha Seohu could not withstand it and dropped to one knee. His pure white robe was dyed with darkness in an instant, and his body was helplessly swallowed by the shadows.
'No....'
All sensation vanished from the body being consumed by shadow.
The last thing he saw, with the only eye not yet swallowed just before he lost consciousness, was a man.
A black figure approaching the Cult Leader. In the remaining light, his face emerged.
Disheveled black hair and murky green eyes.
J.
As he stepped up beside the satisfied Cult Leader and bowed his head with perfect respect, Cha Seohu’s consciousness finally cut out.
Even his last remaining eye was devoured by shadow.
The first to arrive at the old church was Eun Woojeong.
Since he did not know the address, he had followed behind Kwon Taehyuk at first. Once they entered District T-27, however, he had predicted that the destination was the church, increased the speed of his skill, and reached it before anyone else.
Second came Kwon Taehyuk on his motorcycle, and third was Ryu Sunghyun in his own car.
Ryu Sunghyun, who had driven in such a hurry that the side of his car had been thoroughly scraped by the rubble of a collapsed building, stared mournfully at the long scratch for a moment before looking up at the church.
“I don’t sense any sign of life.”
“Let’s go in.”
Kwon Taehyuk strode forward without hesitation and pulled open the door. At the sight, Eun Woojeong gave a short whistle.
“Nice. We’ll use him as a shield and follow from behind.”
Ryu Sunghyun shot him a look of disbelief, then stepped up beside Kwon Taehyuk. Eun Woojeong merely shrugged as if to say suit yourself and kept to the rear.
“Nothing unusual at first glance.”
“Wait. There are footprints here.”
Using the light from his phone, Ryu Sunghyun found fresh footprints stamped into the dust on the floor and swept the beam along their trail.
At the end of the footprints stood an old door.
“So that’s it.”
Kwon Taehyuk spotted the suspicious door and was about to head straight for it.
Then—
A sharp killing intent stabbed at his skin.
The instant he instinctively jerked his upper body back, a pure white chain flew in and knocked aside the weapon aimed at him.
“I didn’t think he’d really end up being the shield.”
Muttering shortly, Eun Woojeong looked toward the attacker. Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun, who had likewise confirmed the enemy’s face, both grimaced.
A dust-covered hoodie, a cap pulled low over the face, and a massive scythe made of shadow.
J stood in the way of all three men.

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