### Chapter 208 – Room 104, Cursed Room – ‘Prestigious Hotel High School’ Re (2)
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[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 97
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 104 – Cursed Room ‘Prestigious Hotel High School’
Sage’s Advice: X]
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– Han Kain
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Heavenly light descended upon Aurelia.
I couldn’t act hastily. It was better to let the opponent strike first than to rush in and prevent Elena from using Justice. It seemed like we were all set to take the initial hit as Ahri, dressed in her protective gear, stood her ground. Aurelia, radiantly shimmering, was a truly mystifying presence. How could any ordinary human not worship such an entity?
“As the Daughter of Heaven, I declare that none of you shall die here today.”
Huh?
“Furthermore, I would like to question the Daughter of the Newly Appointed. Who does the scale of Justice tip in favor of today?”
What?
“I have harmed no one among you. None of the disciples present have attacked you. However, you have slain a teacher and taken the life of a disciple to arrive here. Tell me, do you truly believe in your concept of Justice?”
I was left breathless with disbelief. As Elena stammered in shock, she replied.
“Are you saying you’re unaware of your vile rituals here? You’re swapping people, for crying out loud!”
“Swapping? We’ve merely offered them salvation. Even if we assumed your twisted version of events is true, which of the ‘originals’ has died? They’re all doing just fine here.”
“By brainwashing and kidnapping individuals—”
“That’s a ridiculous distortion, but I’ll entertain your claim. It might appear that way to the ignorant. Even if brainwashing and kidnapping did occur, can you truly claim to be innocent after murdering a teacher?”
In that moment, I frowned. To suddenly counter our arguments about the cultists’ sins? Classic case of projection! Yet, the very existence of a term for logical fallacies implies that this ‘logical error’ resonates well with people. Indeed, Elena found herself at a loss for words.
“Of course, there’s a desire to protect your companions, and that can be considered a kind of greater good. Therefore, I swear once more in the name of the divine—I will not kill any of you today.”
This statement, this conversation—there was no room for misunderstanding. Aurelia knew the mechanics of ‘Justice’! She was blocking the manifestation conditions of Justice by pointing out our lack of righteousness and vowing not to kill us, thus obstructing even our self-defense.
This was perplexing. She wasn’t a prisoner but the opponent—we were merely facing an NPC in a hotel! How could she comprehend the principles of ‘Blessing’? And the principles of Justice weren’t fixed either; they could differ for each person receiving the blessing! Aurelia didn’t just know about Justice’s Blessing; she was countering Elena’s Justice.
Time to think calmly.
In the first attempt, Aurelia didn’t utter any nonsense about being the ‘newly appointed’, nor did she try to understand and counter the mechanisms of Justice like now. This couldn’t have been information she originally possessed. Someone fed her information that shouldn’t have been accessible during the ‘second attempt’!
“My father has spoken…”
The situation was clear. A being within the scenario couldn’t independently grasp the hotel’s system. But a ‘master’ could. It’s bizarre to remain ignorant at this point. After all, the prisoners know about the hotel.
Questions kept piling up. It was natural for prisoners to know about blessings. But how was that information transmitted to Aurelia?
Something seemed off. If the prisoners could roam freely, breaking into the cursed room wouldn’t be feasible. If this was possible, other prisoners would have also informed the adversary about us from the first attempt onward.
Why could only the master perform what others couldn’t? I vaguely recalled the Owl’s advice.
“The master has created a board where everyone can benefit.”
Was that board the reason behind this incomprehensible situation?
… For now, let’s stop the speculation.
At this rate, Aurelia would be the only one transforming into an angel while we were stuck with our Justice sealed away. While her claim of not killing us might not be a lie, didn’t it mean she could do anything as long as she didn’t kill us?
A pillar of light descended. At the same time, everyone shouted.
“Now, attack!”
We were not the same as before. The absence of Justice didn’t imply a lack of strength!
A wave of pressure cascaded out. As white flashes erupted, the cultist at the front turned his gun backward. The girl in protective gear lunged at him as if he were BB pellets. An ominous fear born from dark imaginations began to scream!
And then a book appeared in my hands.
“I-I’ll move to the rear with Eunsol!”
Not everyone was cut out for battle, of course. Kim Sanghyun moved toward the back.
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In the split second after the combat began, the cultists aimed their guns at us then fell without a fight. There wasn’t even a need for stars or bracelets to activate! A bizarre caterpillar appeared beside Elena.
Was that dreadful entity actually singing a strange song? In less than three seconds, madness spread like wildfire. As we gazed in awe at the fallen cultists, we couldn’t hide our astonishment, and even we turned to look at Elena. Naturally, we didn’t have time for admiration. We had never worried about such poorly equipped cultists anyway.
As Aurelia extended her hand, searing rays split the air. Just then, Ahri jumped in, blocking the fiery beam with her body!
At that moment, I seized the fleeting opportunity to approach Aurelia and attempt possession—but it felt like dozens of needles were stabbing my brain. Did I fail? Was Aurelia, wielding heavenly power, too formidable to defend against possession?
But it wasn’t a total loss! Aurelia trembled slightly, as if experiencing a similar phenomenon. Seizing that moment, Cha Jinchul thrust the star toward her, causing the light encompassing her to dim considerably.
“Who the heck are you? Are you the apostles of the Newly Appointed?”
Ahri responded incredulously, “Sorry, but I have no idea who that is.”
What the heck is this ‘newly appointed’ they keep talking about? Instead of answering, Aurelia stomped down with enough force to shatter the concrete floor and punched Ahri away, armor and all. She flew over ten meters as if she were a rubber ball weighing nearly 200 kg.
Yet, even with that, the person inside the armor wouldn’t die. We needed to keep pressing forward. And lo and behold, Ahri got right back up like it was nothing!
I glanced around briefly. The instant combat began, the numerous cultists had been rendered useless by the effects of stars and ominous imaginings.
… A bunch of mere humans couldn’t withstand the impact of fights between superhumans. None of us targeted the cultists, yet even stray hits or the wave from the star had turned dozens into mere meat chunks.
Aurelia’s eyes filled with rage at that recognition.
“How dare you! I will—”
“Try to kill us?”
“… I will never kill you.”
Once again, the ominous song echoed throughout the plaza. As the caterpillar beside Elena began to sing, Aurelia’s brow furrowed deeply. Was that song only targeting Aurelia?
Regardless, it didn’t matter. Timing it just right, I attempted possession once more! As if on cue, a flash emanated from the bracelet attached to Songee.
“How dare you!”
“You claim to be the Daughter of God but have such a foul mouth! Take this!”
From behind the staggered Aurelia, Cha Jinchul used the star like a war hammer to knock her down. As she hurled a punch containing enough force to send cars flying, Ahri once again blocked it with her protective gear.
Not missing the chance, Cha Jinchul closed in again and struck Aurelia with the star. The waves of light that had been enveloping Aurelia since the start of the battle began to recede. Elena, myself, Songee, and Ahri continued to bind her with our abilities while Cha Jinchul delivered the finishing blow.
In an instant, I felt an even greater dissonance. Fighting in a state where Justice was sealed was certainly tougher, more painful, and I thought that surely more than half of us would perish in this battle.
—
At that moment, six superhumans were engaged in a life-or-death struggle, while a group stood a short distance away, contemplating.
Lee Eunsol: Something feels off. Why isn’t she flying?
Kim Sanghyun: Wasn’t she able to fly before?
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Upon reading the chat dialogue, all our expressions filled with confusion!
The unsettling feeling I had since earlier was precisely this. Even though the place was an underground city, it had more than enough space to fly. So why was Aurelia engaging us on the ground instead of soaring above? If she simply took to the skies, many of our combat capabilities would drastically diminish.
It wasn’t just the lack of flying ability that was concerning. Where had the strength she demonstrated by resurrecting the dead with a prayer and activating Justice gone?
Only about five minutes had passed since the fight began, yet it felt like we were already turning the tide. While I thought we could win by pooling our powers together, the thought that victory was imminent in just five minutes seemed far-fetched.
Confusion was confusion, and a fight was a fight. There was no option to retreat now!
I once again attempted possession. As Aurelia lost her footing, Ahri dove in to wrap around her, and Cha Jinchul tried to force the star into her mouth.
—Boom!
Was this her hidden strength? Aurelia unleashed overwhelming force that flung both Ahri and Jinchul aside and shot out searing rays from her fingertips. I had to roll on the floor, barely keeping my distance.
For a moment, both Aurelia and we caught our breath. Aurelia was in shambles. The light that had been emanating from her body dimmed significantly, and more than half of her clothing was torn, leaving her form sullied and grotesque.
There was no escape route. All the paths out of this underground city were left behind us! Despair filled Aurelia’s expression. But we too couldn’t guarantee our victory just yet.
“Where on earth is the ‘master’?”
“A father…? You’re speaking of the ‘master’ right? Where the heck is that guy and what’s he doing?”
Couldn’t she hear me anymore? Aurelia merely exhaled despairing breaths without responding to my words.
“Why won’t you answer me…? Why do you forsake me…”
As Aurelia’s screams, filled with suffering, echoed throughout the underground city, flames emerged in the air, consuming the corpses of the cultists!
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