The Knight King Who Returned with God-Chapter 2 The Black Gate

A gate opened in the middle of Seoul.

That in itself wasn't all that unusual.

Ever since gates began appearing across the Earth 30 years ago—like the Jamsil Gate, Namyangju Gate, and Songdo Gate—gates appearing in the middle of a city had become routine.

The problem was the grade of this one.

"Black..."

A "non-standard" classification, so high it's excluded even from the official rankings of the World Hunter Association.

Gate ranks are determined by the amount of energy inside them—with a 99.9% accuracy rate.

The Korean Hunter Association launched a full-scale response. They requested aid from the World Hunter Association and asked the nation's top Hunter guilds to enter the gate.

"Those damn bastards... Only show up when they want something."

"Nothing new with those guilds, really."

At Chief Kim Jinsu's frustrated words, association hunter Han Hari responded with a jaded look.

It had been 13 years since the last Black Gate appeared. The major domestic guilds all refused to enter and were choosing to wait and observe.

Which, in a way, made sense. Even with Grade A Scarlet Gates, the death toll was usually high. But this wasn't even a Red Gate (Grade S)—it was beyond classification.

No guild wanted to risk their valuable elite Hunters in a gate where even the danger level couldn't be determined.

In the end, the government's Hunter Association had no choice but to step in.

A scout team would enter first to assess the threat level and bring back as much intel as possible to share with the big guilds.

It was the standard play—proper recon could offer massive advantages in figuring out how to clear the gate.

The real problem was that someone had to go in without any information at all.

"...Hari. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Chief Kim looked at her with concern. She was part of the association's first-response unit.

It was a dangerous mission—so serious that volunteers were required to leave behind a will before departure.

And it just felt wrong that someone barely twenty, a promising newcomer, would be heading in.

"I'll be fine. I'm the only A-rank Hunter among the volunteers, right? We at least need one proper fighter."

"Even so..."

An A-rank Hunter was a huge asset—especially since the Association barely had any of them left.

Those with true talent almost always ended up joining the big guilds.

"For the safety of our citizens and the peace of the nation! Isn't that our association's motto?"

"...You foolish girl."

She was one of the few rising stars left in the Association.

In modern-day Earth, where the major guilds snatched up all the top talent, the Hunters who chose to serve the government were usually Grade D or C—maybe B if they stuck around long enough.

And yet here she was: a fresh graduate from the Academy, a promising A-rank Hunter who voluntarily applied to join the Association.

With proper training, she could possibly even reach S-rank someday—one of the few who could stand beside the Association director.

Kim wanted to send her back—for her future—but the scout team was already desperately underpowered.

This was the first Black-class gate in 13 years. Realistically, even a full squad of S-rank Hunters might not be enough. And the only A-rank they had... was Hari.

"...Let's just pray she comes back alive."

—"Entering now! Everyone, stay alert!"

"Damn... it just had to be a field-type gate."

The inside of the gate was a total nightmare.

Some gates appeared post-apocalyptic—desolate, destroyed. But this... this defied all expectations.

The sky had turned a blood-red color.

It wasn't the kind of red that reminded you of a sunset. It was something deeper—unnatural. Like the sky itself had been flipped inside out.

The land was barren. Not a single blade of grass could be seen. So dry and lifeless, it was hard to believe anything had ever lived here.

"This is insane. I've never seen a gate like this. Where are we?"

"Stay sharp, Hari. It's been 13 years since a gate like this showed up. No one knows what could be inside."

"I know... but what kind of world is this, that it can't even be ranked?"

"No idea. Maybe there's a high-tier demon inside?"

"Ugh, don't even joke about that."

And then it happened.

A system message appeared in front of the Hunters, including Hari—a floating window visible only to them.

[Gate Mission]

A mission system that had appeared ever since gates started showing up and Hunters awakened their powers.

It provided crucial information about a gate and what the objective was to clear it.

"C-Chief...?"

"Fuck..."

But as the Hunters read the system window, their faces went pale with horror.

[Eliminate all demons.]

Remaining Demons: 117 / ????????

"Demons..."

Among the countless types of enemies encountered in gates, demons were some of the worst—and usually only appeared in the highest-grade gates.

Six years ago, a high-tier demon named Kanballa emerged from a Scarlet Gate and killed Korea's S-rank Hunter Go Jinhyuk.

And that wasn't all. Twenty-two years ago, in China, the appearance of the Archdemon Skazakarion—a demon lord—led to an unfathomable catastrophe.

"Fuck! Fuck! We need to get out, now!"

"Chief!"

Even the battle-hardened Chief Kim fell into panic at this worst-case scenario.

This was a Demon Gate—a gate where demons spawn.

"They don't stay dead! Even if you kill them, they come back!"

They weren't immortal. But they did resurrect.

The archdemon Skazakarion, who had emerged in the Demon Gate in Shanghai 22 years ago, had already been "defeated" five times.

But the gate never vanished. Every four years, it would reopen, causing a dungeon break and releasing chaos.

"Please, calm down, Chief. It says only 117 demons. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks."

"That's exactly what makes it worse! Only 117, and it's a Black-grade?! That means there's at least an archdemon in here!"

Gate rankings are determined by the total energy inside.

Despite there being only 117 demons, the fact that the gate was ranked Black meant that each and every one of them was terrifyingly powerful.

More than anything, if this was a Demon Gate of archdemon level, there was the serious risk that the dungeon wouldn't close, just like the one in Shanghai, and would remain permanently open.

A horrifying possibility. Just look at what happened to Shanghai—it became a ghost city because of that very Demon Gate.

"Fall back for now! We have to inform the Association that it's a Demon Gate!"

This was not something a scouting party of less than twenty people could handle.

Just as Team Leader Kim made the decision to retreat—

"Sir! Look over there!"

A hunter pointed toward something. There, a demon with a massive mask-like face was looking down at the hunters.

"Damn it... it's a Greatsword!"

A low-tier demon—Greatsword.

A small demon about 1.5 meters tall wielding a sword larger than its own body.

But just because it was low-tier didn't mean they could relax. Among demons, Greatswords had especially high attack power.

As the name implied, a single brush of their massive sword could cause uncontrollable bleeding that didn't stop.

"Oh no..."

And it wasn't just one.

More and more Greatswords appeared. Along with other demons, their numbers quickly swelled past a hundred.

"A-Already a dungeon break?!"

Normally, even the most dangerous gates have a grace period before a full break occurs. But for demons to be swarming in as soon as the gate opened?

—The gate! It's the gate!

—We're saved, we're saved!

—Run, run away!

The demons shrieked with eerie joy, shouting strange things as they ran full speed toward the hunters.

"Everyone, get it together! We can't let the demons cross the gate! If they get through to Earth, they'll hide immediately!"

That was the nature of demons.

They could disguise themselves as humans, or hide in people's shadows.

Even a single demon slipping through could result in disaster, which was why it was absolutely essential to clear a Demon Gate from the inside before letting it break.

"Form a line! I'll take the front!"

"Hari!"

Despite Kim's protests, Hari stepped up and drew her sword.

She wasn't even a tank. Taking the lead like this was basically suicide, but in a moment when the other hunters were paralyzed with fear, her presence could be what rallied them.

—Run! Run!

—I don't want to die! I don't want to vanish!

The demons screamed in some incomprehensible language as they charged. The first to reach the front was a Hellhound.

A lowest-tier demon, but faster than a car and running on all fours like a beast. They came at Hari, panting and snarling.

—Kyaaaaaaah!

One leapt at her. Hari channeled magic into her blade and slashed it down.

With magical reinforcement, her sword easily cut through the creature's hide. The Hellhound whimpered in pain, writhing as it fell.

'Alright! That's a good start!'

She took down four of them in one go. She hoped that her actions would lift the morale of the others—but then the fallen Hellhounds started behaving strangely.

"What... What the hell?"

They were clearly fatally wounded, bleeding profusely—yet they kept running, stubbornly, almost as if they were trying to cross the gate at any cost.

"Stop them!"

The line of hunters managed to block their path.

But it wasn't just the Hellhounds. Even the Greatswords, after clashing briefly with the hunters, began dragging themselves toward the gate, barely fighting back.

—It's coming! It's coming!

—He's on his way!

—No! Run! Get past the gate!

"What... What are they talking about?"

"Are these bastards all high or something...?"

Because of that, the hunters managed to kill the demons relatively easily. But Hari and the others couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.

Sure, demons eventually resurrect, but why were they charging so recklessly? It felt more like they were... running away.

"Hari, move!!"

And then—BOOM! Something crashed down onto the ground.

The sheer force of the shockwave devastated the terrain, sweeping away everything—Hari included.

"Khugh...!?"

Hari was thrown to the ground. Dizzy and disoriented, she tried to understand what had just happened.

"W-What... was that...?"

Something had fallen.

She realized it immediately.

"...Ah."

Something enormous appeared in her field of vision.

Torn wings. A massive axe far larger than any human could wield.

Blood-red skin. Eyes filled with a malevolent, nightmarish rage she didn't even want to see in her dreams.

"Ah... ahh..."

An archdemon.

A winged giant.

The nightmare of Demon Gates that had torn even S-rank hunters limb from limb.

"Out of my way, you lesser beings! Before I slaughter you all!"

The demon overwhelmed the hunters with a chilling sound that tore through the air.

The hunters were paralyzed by the oppressive energy he emitted and couldn't dare to move.

"I-It's over..."

Their legs refused to move, and their breaths grew shallow. Despair and fear crushed them like a weight.

"N-No... If that thing crosses over to Earth..."

They had to stop it. If a monster like that caused a dungeon break in the middle of Seoul... tens of millions of lives would be in danger!

"No."

Hari lifted her sword. She forced her unresponsive legs to move, standing in the face of despair itself.

"You pitiful human..."

The archdemon clicked his tongue at the sight of Hari standing before him. But strangely, there was no killing intent. What Hari sensed from him was... urgency.

"Out of the way, insect!"

He swung lightly, as if swatting a bug. Hari poured all of her mana into blocking the strike—

"Guhk?!"

—and was sent flying all the way back to the gate from that single blow.

"Kh...!"

The ground itself became a weapon, shredding Hari's body as she tumbled. Just one strike—and she understood.

A monster.

That thing was a monster.

With a single blow, it made her realize...

It possessed such overwhelming power that it could crush even the will to survive.

"Ugh..."

As her flickering consciousness teetered on the edge, she sensed someone approach.

At first, she thought it might be Team Leader Kim. But in her blurred vision, she could still see all the Association hunters frozen in fear, unable to move under the archdemon's presence.

Even the veteran Team Leader Kim was trembling, paralyzed—and the archdemon's severed head rolled across the ground.

"Huh?"

The thing rolling in front of her—wasn't that the head of the same archdemon that had just driven them to despair?

"S-Sacred Lion King! No! No!!"

The archdemon screamed. His body writhed in pain as his severed neck began to burn away. And he wasn't the only one—other demons around him were trembling in terror.

"W-What...?"

The archdemon's behavior was strange. In every recorded case, archdemons would curse humanity and promise their return, even in death.

But what about this one now?

"No... No! The holy law...! My soul... it's disappearing!"

He screamed like someone truly facing death, thrashing in desperation.

"...Ah."

Hari understood.

The demons hadn't gathered to cause a dungeon break.

They had been desperately rushing toward the gate to flee—to escape someone.

But who? Who could possibly drive those brutal, endlessly resurrecting demons into such terror?

"This is the end... You are the last of them."

It was a man—completely naked.

Was she hallucinating?

In this ruined world, he wore nothing. Just his bare body and a single worn longsword in hand.

Yet the light shining behind him was so divine, so radiant, it felt like a blessing.

"Rise, brave one."

The words that flowed from the supposed madman's lips carried a regal, archaic tone.

His voice, his manner, his posture—all of it cloaked his appearance in majesty.

Just hearing him speak rekindled the dying flame within her.

"H-Haha..."

What is this? Who is this man?

"This is not the time to fall... Rise and stand against it."

Just the sound of his voice filled her with strength. Vitality surged through her, allowing her wounded body to rise.

"Who... are you?"

To Hari's question, the man with the radiant golden hair responded with a solemn expression:

"I am the Sacred Lion King—king of the Glorious Knights, and the one who carries out the will of the Pantheon. I am Leon Dragonia Lionheart."

The man raised his sword.

[You have defeated all demons.]

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Remaining demons: 0 / ??????????