On the West Coast of the United States, Jason, lying comfortably on a yacht floating near the sandy beach, finished a phone call with a smile.
“Got it, buddy. Catch you later.”
After hanging up, Jason immediately sat up and fell into thought.
‘Do I really have to go right now?’
He had received a sudden call from his friend in Korea, Liam, with one urgent request: to eliminate a fragment of a Great Demon.
According to Liam, a fragment sent by a cunning demon, skilled at hiding its presence, was lurking somewhere in America, and he needed help dealing with it.
Though he accepted his friend’s request cheerfully, there was one slight issue.
‘It’s too far.’
Liam mentioned that the fragment was in Detroit, a city located on the exact opposite side of the West Coast.
If he flew there, he could arrive quickly, but as the ‘Hero Quick Eagle,’ his flight would attract too much attention. If the Great Demon noticed him flying and retrieved its fragment, Jason would gain nothing.
‘This is a bit tricky….’
If he dallied too long, he might miss it, and if he went in person, he could get caught. It was a situation where he felt stuck.
Thinking fast, Jason decided to call someone.
“Give me blood! Hurry up…!!”
After a barrage of grotesque death metal during the call’s connection, a woman finally answered.
“What?”
Her voice was thick with annoyance.
It seemed she assumed this call was yet another invitation to drink, given how often Jason contacted her.
“Hey, this isn’t that kind of call.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s time for you to show off your specialty.”
“Specialty?”
The woman’s voice took on a hint of interest. It was a subtle difference, but after working together for a long time, Jason noticed immediately.
Grinning, Jason presented the kind of task that would have his friend jumping with excitement.
“There’s a fragment of a Great Demon somewhere in America.”
“Oh….”
Unsurprisingly, the enthusiasm pooled into her single-word response.
“Are you in?”
“Leave it to me. I’ll handle it right away.”
“I knew you’d say that. I’ll send you the location as soon as we end this call.”
Now, he just needed to sit back and wait for the capture of the Great Demon’s fragment. He was confident no one would get hurt in the process; she was a demon-hunting expert.
“Thanks, Sister Cat.”
“Just wait a sec. Hehehe.”
The woman, Sister Cat, let out a cheerful laugh before hanging up.
Was she that delighted?
Just like a top-tier YouTuber with a focus on demon-related content, her excitement was contagious.
Jason smiled, feeling proud, as he relayed the location of the fragment Liam mentioned to his friend.
“Got one thing sorted.”
Once again, America would become a little cleaner and more peaceful, thanks to Quick Eagle and his friends.
*
On the rooftop of the cathedral, warmed by the Goddess’s sunlight, I was checking my outfit through a mirror made by Yao.
My hair was neatly braided to avoid any distractions. I wore a mask enchanted with Young Dragon’s poison-blocking magic that suppressed harmful gas inhalation.
My training outfit was adorned with eight defensive blessings I applied myself, and I wore shoes infused with the essence of the highest-level wind spirit contracted by Liam—‘Tornado.’
From head to toe, I was fully equipped for activity and practicality.
“Looks perfect.”
“Indeed.”
“Yao, have you finished prepping?”
“As you can see.”
Yao, looking basically identical to me except for hairstyle and clothing size, had followed the plan we agreed upon based on Wip’s advice—an experienced traveler of the demon world.
Of course, we prepared more than just our outfits.
“Everyone, gather round.”
At that moment, Kelaout called over those scattered across the rooftop. Standing beside our Archbishop were Liam and Hekatrith—strong individuals who chose to stay and protect Korea and the Order instead of joining the expedition.
They had roles to play as we conserved our strength.
“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s start.”
Once all the expedition members gathered, Kelaout began to chant softly with a solemn voice.
“O gracious sun, we are about to leave for the safety and peace of this land’s inhabitants.”
As his deep voice continued, vitality began to flow through everyone’s bodies.
At the same time, I felt incredibly light and comfortable.
Blessings; budding new leaves.
A second-grade blessing that infuses vitality. It’s efficient and powerful enough on its own, but Kelaout didn’t seem done yet.
“I’ll keep going, so please remain still.”
Shortly after, the devoted Archbishop resumed his prayer.
As he continued, yet more blessings enveloped all expedition members.
Typically, an ordinary priest can’t cast multiple blessings in succession like this. However, the elderly man before me was anything but ‘ordinary.’
Having devoted his entire life to the Order since he was a boy, Kelaout was a more knowledgeable priest than I in the matter of blessings.
“May there be holy glory in their futures. Please, shower us with your warm sunlight.”
With that, a multitude of diverse blessings settled on every member of the expedition—eleven in total.
After receiving them all, I felt incredible energy stirring within me.
It was a tremendous wave of force that awakened my body and mind, a surge that was almost overwhelming.
‘Did I receive too many?’
It felt like I had downed an awakening potion for warriors.
It would get better as I adapted, but for now, it was quite intense.
Seeing as I was the one headed out, Kelaout had gotten a bit too enthusiastic with his blessings.
“Now it’s our turn.”
The Archbishop stepped back after bestowing his blessings, and this time, Young Dragon and Liam stepped forward.
The mages’ task was straightforward: to prepare defenses against ambushes and unforeseen circumstances.
“Hero, I’ll cast a fatal wound prevention spell for any ambush, while you focus on danger detection.”
“Right.”
Perhaps because Hekatrith had more knowledge of magic, Liam obediently followed the Guardian Dragon’s orders.
It was quite surprising.
“Hey, Young Dragon.”
“What is it, Hero?”
“Just remember, if Clitia gets even a scratch, you’ll end up like last time.”
“…….”
Looking at it now, Liam really was back to his usual self.
Our demigod husband ought to be this way, refusing to take orders from anyone but me.
Anyway.
With the magical measures now in place, only one thing remained.
An easy press conference.
“Seo-yoon.”
“Yes?”
Seo-yoon, who had come up to see us off, nodded and waved her hand toward a corner of the rooftop.
“They’re about to leave!”
At her words, reporters gathered from all directions, unleashing a flurry of camera flashes.
Everyone was someone called by Seo-yoon, my manager.
I heard that they didn’t invite the reporter who had written a disparaging article after just watching the inflammatory video from the last Burning Association event.
‘That’s just like my sister.’
I was pleasantly surprised by her thoroughness.
Reporters had to take responsibility for what they wrote.
“Since you’re leaving, I’ll only take one question!”
Responding to Seo-yoon’s control, a reporter stepped forward to ask, “What do you think the chances of success are for this expedition?”
It seemed like this journalist hadn’t watched the last broadcast.
“I’m confident there’s no chance of failure.”
Click, click.
As I expressed my self-assured declaration, the flashes intensified.
It was somewhat blinding, yet compared to the sunlight, it felt like nothing, and I didn’t wrinkle my face.
“There’s no need to debate whether this expedition will succeed or fail. Instead, focus on how great our gains will be. Just relax, and I’ll be back in no time.”
After concluding the brief interview, I took a moment to assess my team members before the expedition began in earnest.
The Supreme Holy Knight, Yao, was warming up.
The laid-back budding Saint, Reeve, seemed relaxed.
Wip, the former Vice Holy Knight, was less tense than before the live broadcast.
Kim Ji-yeon, the secretary, proudly displayed a talisman emblazoned with the word ‘GO!’
Thus far, they were all set to join the demon world expedition as members of our Order.
“Are you ready to spread the Goddess’s divine will in the demon realm?”
Everyone nodded or responded energetically to my question.
Not a single person hesitated or wavered.
Such confidence marked them as elite warriors—this was the kind of demeanor that would surely please our Pope.
I shifted my gaze with a satisfied smile.
“What about Psycheless?”
Recently, Psycheless had become a member of the Order, and he would join the demon world expedition as a representative of the government.
Maybe that’s why he wore a mask decorated with the Korean flag.
“…This is embarrassing.”
It didn’t look like he had chosen to wear it of his own volition.
I cautiously approached and whispered, “Whose order is that?”
“The President’s. We even had a direct call.”
“Oh.”
In that case, he couldn’t really refuse.
“Hang in there.”
“Yes…”
With a bitter reply from Psycheless, he whispered in a softer tone.
“Did you know? They want me to heroically act like Quick Eagle in America. They’ve even given me a hero name personally from the President.”
“What is it?”
“Taegukgi Girl.”
“…….”
What a terrible naming sense indeed.
“You’ve become a representative hero for Korea. You’ll need to show your talents in this expedition.”
“I will. I’ll do my best for Lady Lilith.”
Lady Lilith planned to join us from the demon realm.
I didn’t know where she was, but it was no problem; being a dream demon, we could communicate through dreams while she slept.
“I hope we get to meet her soon.”
“Same here.”
“Anyway, let’s do our best, Taegukgi Girl.”
“…….”
After playfully poking Psycheless’s arm, I bent down once more for the last expedition member.
-Roar!
The White Tiger, who had been lurking nearby, approached and rubbed against my hand.
He truly knew how to be adorable.
After rubbing his head affectionately, I stood up with my beloved beast in my arms.
With that, all preparations were complete.
“Reeve, please open the Dimensional Gate.”
“Yes.”
Soon after, Reeve pulled out a white sphere shaped like an eye that she had shown in the last meeting.
It was a dwarven tool to open interdimensional pathways.
It was a pivotal item marking the start of our plan.
As I infused it with my Sacred Power, the pupil began to shimmer with a pink glow.
KAAAM.
A strange sound echoed, and as ominous energy spread, the reporters sneaking closer began to murmur loudly.
“Fools! Do you wish to follow us into the demon realm?”
Amidst the Guardian Dragon’s roar, the reporters hastily retreated.
At that moment, a beam of light shot from the eye.
With a loud noise, the laser shot forward vehemently, only to meet resistance in mid-air.
Eventually, a circular Dimensional Gate, oozing dense mana, emerged in a space that had been empty.
It was the entrance to the demon realm.
“Let’s go.”
It was time to leave and eliminate the Great Demon that constantly tormented the Returnees.
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