The sound of the siren—it was a fire alarm. Even the cult followers, who were accustomed to turning away police visits, couldn't help but be flustered in this situation.

  And a short while later, firefighters arrived. They immediately went inside to investigate, and Jihyeon slipped in, taking advantage of the confusion.

  While entering, Jihyeon didn't forget to add fake instructions to keep the police occupied with the cult followers.

  Adding confusion upon confusion was absolutely necessary for moving covertly.

  Thanks to this, he was able to get inside more easily than expected, but the real danger was now beginning.

  There were many people inside, but they were the original followers of this place.

  But Jihyeon was different. He was an outsider, an intruder, and their enemy.

  If he wasn't careful, there was a high possibility of being caught and lynched. But the moment Jihyeon entered, he completely internalized the structure of the place.

  Based on that, Jihyeon was able to quickly reach the vicinity of the cult leader's room.

  Of course, there were tense moments, but each time, Jihyeon continued to stir up confusion.

  Sirens blared from various locations, shaking the people. On top of that, he activated the sprinklers, forcing people to evacuate.

  However, Jihyeon was forced to stop near the cult leader's room.

  To go any further, he had to deal with the bodyguards who were willing to die for the cult leader.

  Every one of them was physically strong and skilled in combat. Breaking through them was absolutely impossible for Jihyeon right now.

  But watching them from a distance, Jihyeon could tell what was happening inside. The memories they held contained a terribly cruel truth.

  The cult leader's unknown bloodlust.

  It was a distortion that could only be described as madness. But that wasn't the whole story.

  The cult leader's mind, whose information Jihyeon had reconstructed based on the bodyguards' memories, was far more insane than expected.

  Mina's death.

  And money.

  What the cult leader wanted was completely twisted. If it were just money, he could understand it perfectly.

  But the murderous intent driven by jealousy was inexplicable.

  An accident.

  And the death of her child.

  Combined with the distortion caused by an unknown power.

  The jealousy mixed with all of these threatened Mina's life in the form of murderous intent. Although, to be precise, it was jealousy towards Mina's parents.

  It was unbelievable.

  The traces of memory left by the cult leader were chilling just by viewing them. It wasn't the mind of an ordinary person.

  Now, he was just curious as to what kind of person made her that way.

  But rescuing Mina was the priority now. Therefore, Jihyeon focused only on how to make a frontal breakthrough.

  However, not many ideas immediately came to mind. What exactly should he do?

  Pondering didn't immediately yield an answer. It would be great if some good solution popped up at a time like this, but Jihyeon couldn't easily find an answer.

  It was then. Jihyeon glanced over and saw a CCTV, and at that moment, his body trembled as if an electric current had passed through him.

  That was it.

  The answer didn't necessarily have to come from himself. Jihyeon immediately started working through his phone.

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  And a short while later, the police, firefighters, and reporters came running as a single group, ignoring the cult personnel.

  Their faces were filled with urgency. The cult leader's bodyguards couldn't hide their bewildered expressions at the sight.

  Ding.

  A message arrived.

  It was a streaming video link. The link that arrived for the police and firefighters informed them of what was happening inside the building.

  The quality wasn't great, but it didn't matter. As always, what was important was the content.

  The content of the video was something that would compel any police officer to rush in.

  The playing screen contained the earnest scream of someone begging for salvation.

  Screams to be saved, crackling sounds of an unknown nature, and fire.

  This might be the reason for the fire reported today. Firefighters all knew what would happen if a fire broke out in a confined space.

  However, whether this was real or not couldn't be known yet. If someone played a malicious prank, it could be a wild goose chase.

  But the moment a part showing their faces filmed from a high place appeared, the story changed. It was proof that this was being filmed in real-time.

  The moment the scene appeared, zooming in on the faces of the police, firefighters, and even the reporters who came here from the upper part of the building, they all knew they had to move.

  At that moment, the cult personnel could no longer block the public authority and the reporters.

  As if by prearrangement, they united and rushed forward with the momentum of a tank charging into enemy lines.

  If they were late, someone would die.

  That fact made the firefighters unstoppable. Nothing is more precious than saving a life. Cult personnel couldn't stop the firefighters even if they tried.

  The police were no different.

  Running alongside the firefighters, they now defined all future interference as obstruction of public duty.

  The reporters were the most excited in this situation, and the cult followers were the most flustered.

  With a slight commotion, they arrived at the location where the bodyguards were.

  A clash.

  The cult leader's bodyguards were completely unfazed by the talk of a fire inside. But that was enough to make the police suspicious.

  The ensuing scuffle soon escalated into the bodyguards using violence, leading to a clash between the police and the bodyguards.

  Fear, and fanaticism.

  In that regard, the cult leader's bodyguards were perfect examples of fanatics. They bared their teeth at the police like beasts that had lost their reason.

  However, the police, joined by the firefighters, quickly overpowered them. The police were prepared to use their guns at any time for situations like this, and that instantly ended the fight.

  But it was not over yet.

  The person they needed to save was inside, and the police and firefighters broke down the door and went in.

  However, that was an unfortunate event for them.

  The police, firefighters, and reporters became the targets of the cult leader's mad fury.

  The cult leader always punished those who interrupted her pleasure, which was about to begin.

  "Kuaaaaaaaaaak!"

  A scream.

  It was an uncontrolled power, a fury filled with pure malice and murderous intent. People without any defensive tool could not possibly withstand the force that struck like lightning.

  Instantly, police officers and firefighters fell. And the reporters behind them were not safe either.

  Jihyeon couldn't help but be shocked watching it. He had somewhat expected it, but the power was beyond that.

  But the power was too weak to kill someone. It only had enough force to cause people to faint.

  The reason was unknown. But seeing the cult leader's staggering body, it seemed something was wrong with her.

  Jihyeon simply ran headlong. Since he confirmed Mina was safe, he could think about what to do next later.

  And without delay, Jihyeon stood in front of Mina. Like a wall standing in her place, Jihyeon stood before the cult leader and looked at her.

  The cult leader was once again enraged by the appearance of yet another interferer.

  "Who are you now?"

  The cult leader spoke with a voice full of fury. Her mad eyes contained a murderous intent that would chill anyone who saw it.

  It was like a pledge to definitely kill the interferer. But despite that, the cult leader's breathing sounded very labored.

  "You must be the cult leader. You are being too harsh on your junior."

  Jihyeon looked at the cult leader and replied quietly. Although fear made him tremble, Jihyeon still looked directly into the cult leader's eyes with confidence.

  And the moment their eyes met, Jihyeon knew many things.

  At the same time, Jihyeon could also confirm that the cult leader's life was not long. Although the tool from the other world allowed her to hide much information, there was also plenty of information he could still ascertain.

  "A body broken by the tool that man gave you, and a twisted mind... How pitiful."

  Jihyeon deliberately mentioned 'that man.' It was intended to provoke the cult leader.

  Of course, this was a gamble.

  Jihyeon didn't know whether the person the cult leader met was a man or a woman. But it didn't matter.

  She would clearly remember.

  When, and from whom, and for what purpose she received the tool.

  "What did you say? This power is mine! It's mine! Are you trying to steal my power too?"

  The cult leader shouted. It was an act close to instinct.

  The last remaining obsession not to lose what was hers. But the voice coming from someone whose flame of life was gradually extinguishing was no longer frightening.

  "That's a lie. You know it. That accident was never a coincidence. You are distorting the truth.

  Jihyeon said that, cornering the cult leader.

  "That man made you this way, didn't he? And he killed your child, too."

  The cult leader reacted once again to the words 'that man.' Her true, undistorted memory.

  It began to gradually steal the cult leader's power. Now, beyond merely gasping for breath, the cult leader looked as if she was suffering from respiratory distress.

  "B-But, th-this, this is..."

  Confusion.

  The cult leader began to fall into confusion. She couldn't ignore Jihyeon's words.

  "Ugh... But, but this power is mine... It's mine. It's mine!"

  The cult leader roared out. And looking at Jihyeon, she declared once again.

  "This is mine. All of this is mine..."

  The cult leader shouted, staggering as if she could no longer control her body. As if that was all that remained of her.

  "No. You were just used."

  Jihyeon declared. And a short while later, only one person was left standing.

  With the sound of her falling, one era concluded.

  All that remained were the man who approached the truth and the woman who was nearly a victim.