What was about to happen? Johannes had experienced all kinds of strange things in Gyodam City, but this was a first.
A building was twisting and transforming. It looked like a living creature evolving.
Just then, black fog bloomed, greedily swallowing the shrine before instantly scattering.
Johannes, who had been frozen in place, finally came to his senses and tilted his head back to look up at the wall.
Because it was much higher than the original wall, he couldn’t see the top no matter how much he craned his neck.
Furthermore, the once pure white wall had turned pitch black.
Was he caught in a Hallucination Skill?
He rubbed his eyes several times to snap out of it, but the black wall remained.
He tentatively reached out and touched the cold surface. Judging by how it made no sound when he tapped it, it seemed quite solid.
It felt too real to be a hallucination. If so, it might be a different kind of skill.
Perhaps a skill that traps the target in a Sub-dimension or a Teleportation skill that moves them to another location.
Otherwise, such a thing would be impossible.
Moving quickly, Johannes surveyed the surroundings.
He saw Iris’s car with an illegal parking ticket, and the familiar roadside trees and bus stop came into view.
He hadn’t been teleported elsewhere, nor was he trapped in a Sub-dimension.
Seeing that the surrounding scenery was the same, this Black Castle was indeed the transformed Enrakakyo Shrine.
He moved further away from the wall and looked up at the transformed temple.
The shrine, which had consisted of low walls and buildings, had turned into a castle with high towers that looked like they belonged in the Middle Ages.
There was no presence felt nearby. If so…
‘Something must have happened inside. Nothing else but “That One” could have done this. But they were hiding this much power?’
Within Enrakakyo, “That One” was considered ominous and uncomfortable, but it was viewed as a fairly useful existence that they couldn’t or didn’t need to drive away.
Those who knew “That One” evaluated it as a mediocre being that had various minor abilities but fell far short of being a god.
‘If they had shown this ability sooner, they might have been worshipped as a god along with the Enraka Goddess.’
This was the headquarters of Enrakakyo, a complex of several buildings rather than a single one.
An ability capable of transforming such a massive place in an instant was truly close to a god’s power — no, it was a power worthy of being called a god.
Why on earth had they been hiding this level of power?
While trying to guess the intentions of “That One,” Johannes quickly snapped back to reality.
He didn’t know the reason for this, but the important thing was that he had to save Iris.
Even if it meant facing a being with god-like power, he had to do it. He might die before even getting close to her, let alone saving her.
Still, he had to try. He couldn’t imagine his life without Iris.
At that moment, the thought struck him that the sudden transformation of the shrine and Iris might be related.
‘I hope it’s not because they took all the Relics from Iris and its power grew. If that’s the case…’
Would “That One” have any reason to keep Iris alive after taking all the Relics?
Johannes was filled with anxiety because he was completely unaware of the plan to complete the power of the Relics using Iris’s body.
The thought of something happening to her made his legs tremble and his mind reel.
He wanted to break down the wall and rush inside, but he barely managed to restrain himself.
‘Let’s stay calm. There must be a way.’
Assessing the situation was the priority. If the outside was like this, how had the interior of the shrine changed?
Moving toward the entrance while masking his presence, he bit his lip.
The iron-barred gate that the guard used to lock with a padlock was gone, replaced by a massive iron door without a single hole.
With a gapless iron door set into a mind-bogglingly high wall, it was impossible to tell how the inside had changed.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips at the realization that he couldn’t even tell if entry was possible, let alone see inside.
‘What on earth is this…’
Just then, he sensed a presence from afar as people appeared.
Although the shrine was located in a secluded area, it wasn’t completely isolated from the city, so citizens occasionally passed by.
Their eyes widened when they saw the shrine. They began to talk among themselves.
Johannes flinched involuntarily and listened to their conversation.
“That’s weird. Was this always here? I thought it was the Enrakakyo Shrine.”
“You’re right. When did it change? This building wasn’t here just last week.”
“I guess some Superpowered Individuals put in some work.”
“Must be. As long as a Villain doesn’t show up, who cares? I’ve got enough headaches as it is.”
After standing there for a moment looking at the castle, they decided it was nothing special and moved on.
So many strange things happened in Gyodam City that they just brushed it off, even when a pure white building turned into a suspicious Black Castle overnight.
This was the reaction of Gyodam City citizens, who were used to seeing everything from Villains and Monsters to biker gangs during rush hour.
A hollow laugh escaped Johannes’s lips after he had been tense for a moment. While this was a major event for him and the Enrakakyo officials, from the perspective of citizens who had seen it all, it was just another “Gyodam City-esque” occurrence.
‘I guess you only see what you know. Since they have no interest in the shrine and know even less about powers, they can react so calmly. The only ones taking this seriously are the Enrakakyo officials or Superpowered Individuals who know such things can’t be done with an ordinary ability… That’s right. Superpowered Individuals would have no choice but to find this strange.’
The fine hairs on his arms began to stand on end.
This was because an overwhelmingly powerful aura was radiating from the shrine, now a Black Castle.
It felt like an energy that only a Superpowered Individual could sense.
The pedestrians were passing by, chatting happily, sensing nothing wrong.
Johannes unconsciously stepped back, deterred by the powerful energy that felt almost nauseating.
Suddenly, the phone in his pocket rang loudly. He checked the caller ID; it was his father’s Secretary.
His father tended to communicate through James. Even communication via the Secretary usually went through James first.
So, while he had the Secretary’s contact information, he had never spoken to him directly.
For the Secretary to contact him personally meant it was undoubtedly important.
It likely had a deep connection to the shrine transforming into a fortress-like Black Castle.
As soon as he pressed the call button, a calm voice spoke.
“Lord Johannes. The Master requests that you come to the Enrakakyo Shrine tomorrow. Although it couldn’t be helped until now…”
“I’m in front of the shrine right now. Does my father know how the shrine has changed?”
Silence hung on the other end of the line following Johannes’s question. After a moment, the Secretary finally replied.
“…Yes. He is aware. Would you like to speak with the Master directly?”
“That’s… no.”
Johannes hesitated for a brief moment before choosing not to speak with his father.
They weren’t exactly a father and son who shared warm, friendly conversations.
Since he had already rebelled against his father through James several times, nothing good would come out of it.
Above all, he had already obtained what he wanted: access to the shrine. There was no need for further conversation with his father.
‘Father won’t be of any help. In fact, he might even be a hindrance. I have to save Iris on my own.’
Given his father’s personality, if he found out about Iris — who was Johannes’s weakness — he might try to exploit her.
Furthermore, while he didn’t know the exact situation inside the shrine, if “That One” had gained such massive power, his father was the type of person who would harm her without hesitation just to flatter “That One.”
“So I just need to see my father tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, he said you must attend this time…”
Tomorrow. It was a relief to have an opportunity to enter the shrine, but it was too late. Johannes, biting his lip anxiously, let the words slip out.
“What about right now?”
“Pardon?”
“Not tomorrow, but right now to the shrine… Never mind. I will be sure to attend.”
Realizing too late that he had lost his composure, he answered through gritted teeth.
Showing his impatience could ruin everything.