Chapter 42: The reunion with the redhead was the worst (3)

Doppelganger.

The Sage called the doppelgangers a legacy for the future.
But in reality, they were nothing more than the Sage’s private soldiers.
He actually used the doppelgangers for his personal gain.

While posing as a savior, he would kidnap famous heroes or nobles.
Then, he’d replicate them with doppelgangers, turning them into puppets that blindly followed him.

Thanks to this, Yushin, who had been a hero, was instantly framed as a traitor.
Even the people who had trusted Yushin either lost their lives or were all replaced by doppelgangers.

To think I’d have to see such a sight again here.
From Yushin’s perspective, it left a bad taste in his mouth.
But what could he do?
When shit gets thrown your way, you have no choice but to clean it up.

Yushin took out his phone to contact Yuri, who was with Athena.
But as expected, there was no signal.
Yushin narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“He’s already started his tricks.”

It seems he has no intention of letting us join up smoothly.
But something is strange.
Even for the Sage, to create and use magic capable of blocking communication devices this early?

His growth can’t be that fast.

Then there’s only one answer.
There’s someone helping the Sage.
Coincidentally, Yushin recalled the middle-aged man he had met in a dream before.
Perhaps that man was the one helping him.

‘Then why did he appear in my dream and warn me?’

The questions continued, one after another.
But Yushin soon shook off the doubts.
Because before long, a red-haired boy appeared in front of Yushin and Seolyeon.

“Hyunwoo!!”

Seolyeon desperately called out the red-haired boy’s name.
This time, it was real.
Not some mere doppelganger, but the real Hyunwoo had appeared before her.
Or so she thought.

‘What is that thing.’

However, Yushin, who was watching from behind, felt an indescribable sense of unease.
Even though Yushin was the type to not even bother storing information about people he wasn’t interested in.

Having met him three times, like it or not, some memory of him was bound to remain.

But no matter how he looked at it, the Hyunwoo in front of him felt different from the Hyunwoo he had seen until now.
Rather, this eerie and foul feeling, it was closer to that of the Sage.

“Hey! Get back for now!”

“What are you talking about? This is my real brother.”

“Sorry, but that’s not it.”

Hyunwoo smiled and stretched out his hand.
A purple, glittering magic circle appeared on the palm of Hyunwoo’s outstretched hand.
The moment he saw it, Yushin was already moving.

Kwaaang!!

Countless tendrils of flesh shot out from the magic circle, striking the spot where Seolyeon had been.
If Yushin had been even a moment too late, Seolyeon would have been devoured by those tendrils and become a part of them.

“This worthless bastard.”

“It’s been a while, Hero.”

“Explain yourself first. What the hell have you done?”

It was definitely the Sage.
The magic he just used, his way of speaking.
But his appearance was that of the red-haired boy.
It wasn’t transformation magic or some other petty trick.

Not only Seolyeon, who had sharp instincts.
Even Yushin, who was hardened to this kind of thing, had initially perceived Hyunwoo as Hyunwoo.
Despite the vastly different atmosphere.

“The answer is simple. Kang Hyunwoo, was it? I’ve stolen that child’s existence.”

“Stolen his existence? You mean you stole his body?”

“It’s not such a trivial magic. Literally, it means that ‘I’ have become ‘Kang Hyunwoo’ from the very beginning.”

“…Insane.”

Stealing an existence.
In other words, people would now perceive the current Hyunwoo—no, the Sage—as Hyunwoo.
Whatever the real Hyunwoo had done until now, all of it would be erased.

“Don’t you think so? Sister.”

“Don’t… make me laugh.”

“…Hoh?”

“Someone like you… A wicked being like you could never be my brother!!”

“This is quite impressive. To think you could resist the magic that overwrites existence.”

The Sage was genuinely impressed.
He had expected it not to work on the Hero and Athena, whose souls were mixed with those from another world, but he never imagined there would be someone from this world who could resist it.

However, that thought was half right and half wrong.

Right now, Seolyeon felt like she was going crazy.
Her mind, her cold, sunken reason, kept trying to convince her that the incredibly evil being before her was her brother.

Her memories and recollections were all being overwritten.

But, despite that, Seolyeon could not accept the evil being before her as her brother.
Something akin to instinct, remaining in her subconscious, was desperately resisting it.

“Where… where is my real brother?!”

Seolyeon managed to ask, her voice swallowing her rage.
She wanted to tear him to shreds right this instant, but she held onto a sliver of hope.
Seolyeon threw the question at the Sage.

A faint hope that her family was still alive.

She could never give up.
Because it was family.
However, the Sage effortlessly trampled on that faint hope.
And in the worst way possible.
The Sage smiled lightly.

“Didn’t you already meet him?”

“Nonsense…!!!”

“The doppelganger you met before coming here.”

“…?!”

“Was that really a fake?”

That single sentence was enough to overturn the blazing lake of her emotions.
The doppelganger she thought was a fake, the one she thought was just imitating her brother.
What if it had been real?

What if he was her family, imprisoned, crying out to his sister for help?

Then who was it that finished off that doppelganger?
That’s right, none other than herself.
Kang Seolyeon herself.
The ever-so-strong Kang Seolyeon was staggering greatly.

‘My brother is dead?’

‘By whom.’

‘By my own hands?’

Just as the ever-so-strong Kang Seolyeon’s mind was about to collapse from the shock, it was Yushin who stepped forward first.
He had seen such cases countless times, and had even experienced it himself.

Therefore.

He knew the answer to solve this problem.

The blade Yushin drew instantly shot towards the Sage’s neck.
The Sage tried to block it by creating flames, but Yushin’s rage-filled slash easily cut through even those flames.

“Ultimately, you’re the one to blame, you son of a bich!!”

That bastard was always like this.
He always committed unthinkable, trashy acts like this.
And then he shifts the blame.
But is that Seolyeon’s sin?

No, it’s not.

From the very moment his existence was overwritten.
Hyunwoo was as good as dead.
Of course, if one looked hard enough, there might be a way to fix it.
But that was highly unlikely.

At least, not with the great evil known as the Sage right in front of them.
Besides, the opponent was a doppelganger; if the Sage just gave the order, it would attack without a second thought.

In the end, he had to believe she made the best choice.
It was a cold judgment, but it couldn’t be helped.
If he didn’t think that way, Yushin’s own mind would have crumbled long ago…

“So a hero is still a hero, even if rotten? Not bad, but with just that much…”

“Revil is not alone!!”

“?! “

If he were alone, he could handle him somehow.
No matter how weakened he was, the Hero was his greatest nemesis.
Therefore, he would deal with him here.
The Sage’s judgment was very sound, but.

His opponent didn’t just stand by either.

Tearing through the barrier set in space, Athena descended from the sky like moonlight upon the Sage.
Torn by the overwhelming power, the Sage couldn’t withstand the force and retreated.

Of all the people to show up, it had to be a monster like that.

Besides, more could come over besides Athena.
But the Sage suppressed his desires.
If he fought here now, it was obvious that at best, it would only end in mutual destruction.

“Let’s save this for later.”

In the end, the Sage had no choice but to retreat, promising a future confrontation.
In any case, he had now obtained a vessel to overlay his soul upon.
For now, he would be satisfied with this and withdraw.

Naturally, Seolyeon tried not to let him just leave.
She wanted to demand her brother back.
But her throat was tight, and she couldn’t get the words out.
Guilt kept washing over her.

Only after the Sage disappeared from before her eyes did Seolyeon finally collapse to the ground.
Yushin, who had been watching her for a moment, let out a deep sigh and approached Seolyeon.

“Are you okay?”

“…I don’t know. What I’m supposed to do from now on.”

“It’s my fault for calling it a doppelganger. It’s not your fault.”

She had fallen victim to the cruelty of a dark fantasy in the worst way.
That feeling, Yushin understood it better than anyone.
The story he mentioned before, of the family that boiled their child and offered it as a meal.

The child boiled by the parents back then was one of Yushin’s comrades.
He was a junior who had joined late.
He was naive and affable, so Yushin had unexpectedly taken a liking to him.

Until the very end, he had trusted him, but he was imprisoned and persecuted by his parents.
And in the end, he was boiled by his parents and served on the dining table.

[How is it? It’s a special feast I prepared just for you.]

And in front of it all was the Sage.
The one who arbitrarily controls people, who makes them hurt others at will.
That piece of trash.
Hearing those words, Seolyeon’s gaze turned to Yushin.

“…No, no matter how much I think about it. Even if I try to turn the arrow of resentment elsewhere.”

“…”

“The situation was unavoidable. Even if I went back, I would have no choice but to do the same thing.”

“You’re strong.”

“No, I am weak.”

It felt like she would crumble at any moment.
What disciplinary head, what law of the jungle.
She couldn’t even protect her own precious family.
What she needed right now was just one thing.

Someone to lean on.

Before she knew it, when she came to her senses.
Seolyeon found herself being embraced by Yushin.
Was it pity, or was it a sense of kinship?
She didn’t know the reason behind his actions.

But, at least thanks to him.

Seolyeon was able to shed the tears she had held back for so long.