29-124

EP.124 Holy Girl Squadron Saviors ~Apostles of Light Defiled by Evil~ 

The moment Hyunseong’s finger pressed the floating button in the air, an explosive light burst out from around him. 

The flash was so intense that Naeun reflexively shielded her face with her arm, as the narrow alley was lit up like noon. 

“Ugh?!” 

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the light vanished. 

All noise ceased as if it had been a lie, and a strange silence descended. 

Where the light had faded, Hyunseong lay collapsed on the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut. 

The desperate rage with which he’d been rushing her moments before was gone, leaving his body limp like a powerless doll with the switch turned off. 

All signs of life had instantaneously evaporated from his flesh. 

Looking down at him, Naeun intuitively realized that this was “possession.” 

“Even though the connection to Child has been cut… Did he have something else prepared?” 

It was clearly her own miscalculation. 

Faced with this unforeseen development, she clicked her tongue briefly, but soon regained her composure, her face turning cold and her equilibrium returning. 

‘I already finished investigating that there’s a time delay before he returns to reality after possession.’ 

It might be his last desperate measure, but in fact, it just meant his body was now completely defenseless. 

With an expression that was hard to describe, Naeun gently let go of his arm as she looked down at Hyunseong’s face. 

“I’d hoped you’d make a better choice, but… so this is how it ends up.” 

Had he really just not wanted to give up those powers so badly? As she muttered bitterly, heavy footsteps sounded behind her. 

It was Seohyun, having rushed over after finishing her fight with Lizetta. 

“Senpai, what happened? You caught the guy?” 

“Mhm. For now. But the maid?” 

“She’s out cold. She resisted way more than I expected, so to keep her still I gave her shoulder a little dislocation.” 

“Breaking the door down was ‘just enough’ to subdue them too, I suppose?” 

At Naeun’s playful admonishment, Seohyun avoided her eyes. 

“How can you worry about every little thing when time’s of the essence? Better than letting him get away.” 

“Sigh. Thanks to my eager junior, cleaning this mess up will be a pain.” 

With a sigh, Naeun glanced toward the villa where Hyunseong had lived. 

Everyone connected to Hyunseong would have to have their memories erased anyway. 

Anywhere affected by his influence. 

Meanwhile, Seohyun approached the unconscious Hyunseong and nudged his body with her boot. 

“This guy just passed out?” 

“No, he possessed. The way he charged at me with no combat experience, he must’ve been that desperate.” 

“Hah. If only he’d put that persistence to better use.” 

With a scoff, Seohyun kicked a piece of rubble, sending it clattering against a wall. 

“So what now? Should we call HQ and continue the pursuit?” 

“No, you know as well as I do in a virtual dimension, we’re at a huge disadvantage. For now, let’s just get him to HQ. That’ll at least halt the erosion.” 

Naeun pulled a flat metal plate from her belt and set it on the ground. 

It was a dimensional transfer device. 

As she operated it with practiced skill, a humming sound filled the air and a blue force field began to envelop Hyunseong. 

Everything seemed to be wrapping up smoothly. 

But a prickling sense of unease grew in the back of Naeun’s mind. 

‘Something’s wrong.’ 

If Child was using Hyunseong to achieve its goal, there’s no way it would leave him so defenseless in this state. 

It was like… bait set out for them, as if gauging their response a trap? Or is there some variable we don’t know about…? 

The moment Naeun’s thoughts reached that point, animal instincts sent a chill down her back. 

Her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the darkness in the narrow alleyway. 

“Seohyun!” 

She shouted urgently, but it was already too late. 

“...!!” 

Pretending to be unconscious and tailing them was Lizetta, who now burst from the shadows. 

Before Seohyun could react, Lizetta yanked the pin from a fire extinguisher she’d picked up from who-knows-where. 

Fsssshh ! 

With a roar, white powder blanketed the alley in an instant. 

“Gah?! Did that brat just ?!” 

As the agents’ sight and breath were both cut off, Lizetta hoisted up Hyunseong’s limp body and darted from the alley into the crowd. 

“Damn it, that brat! She was faking! Pretending to be unconscious!” 

“Don’t lose her, Seohyun! She can’t have gotten far! Minimize civilian casualties, but we must apprehend them!” 

Naeun’s shout set the two Bureau agents off in hot pursuit after Lizetta. 

Feeling the intense chase at her back, Lizetta looked down at the Hyunseong slung over her shoulder. 

This wasn’t by Child’s command. 

Nor was it the duty of a maid. 

It was her own decision entirely. 

‘Even if it breaks my body, I will protect your powerless time… I will keep you safe.’ 

The time limit was: until Hyunseong returned from possession. 

While Hyunseong himself was unaware, a life-and-death game of cat-and-mouse had begun in the real world. 

[Starting possession.] 

[Dimension name: Holy Girl Squadron Saviors ~Apostles of Light Defiled by Evil~] 

[Possessor: Lee Hyunseong.] 

[Possession Body: Onyx Rex.] 

The system messages that had been overtaking his consciousness faded like mist, and Hyunseong felt his senses return. 

The first thing he noticed was the sensation of a cold, slick liquid covering his whole body. 

Through a muffled sense, as if his ears were blocked, he could faintly hear the soft beeping of life support machinery and catch the sharp scent of antiseptic mixed with ozone. 

‘Here…’ 

Apparently, the possession worked. 

But instead of relief, his mind was immediately filled with the image of Naeun’s cold eyes pinning him down and of Lizetta’s back as she risked everything to buy him time. 

Would Lizetta be safe? And what about Juyeong and Mina? 

An unsettling anxiety tightened around his heart, but he forcibly shook it off. 

He had to focus on his immediate situation. 

[The consciousness of the possessor is awakening.] 

With the last message, Hyunseong slowly opened his eyes. 

The emerald liquid that had been clouding his sight drained away with a soft whoosh. 

The reinforced glass lid above him opened with a hiss and a billow of mist. 

Cold air brushed against his wet skin, causing his body to curl up involuntarily. 

“You’re awake, Onyx-nim.” 

As Hyunseong sat up from the coffin-like device, a shadowy voice called out beside him. 

He turned his head toward the voice and saw a woman. 

She wore a striking, body-hugging black latex office outfit that radiated an aggressive aura. 

Flowing over it was long, wavy purple hair. 

Her seductive, violet eyes seemed to pierce right through him, and her lips were painted a deep, vibrant red that accentuated her sensual beauty. 

Graceful yet domineering charisma lingered in her every movement. 

“You’re…” 

“I am Morgana, Onyx-nim.” 

The woman knelt on one knee before Hyunseong. 

Her posture was filled with awe and a rapturous devotion toward her master. 

“Your ever-faithful secretary. Have you forgotten me, Morgana?” 

Morgana. 

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten he was meeting her for the first time. 

Only then did Hyunseong recall the dimension name he had seen in the system message. 

‘Holy Girl Squadron Saviors…’ 

This was a game he’d only ever heard the title of he’d never played it. 

The only thing he knew was that it was a netorare genre “magical girl hero” work, nothing more. 

If he made the mistake of feigning ignorance here, things would get complex fast. 

“Ah, ahh… right. Morgana…” 

Morgana’s eyes narrowed momentarily at his awkward reply. 

But she soon interpreted his hesitation another way. 

“You must be suffering confusion from such a long coma. Even so, I, Morgana, have long awaited the day you would awaken.” 

She stood up from her kneeling position and began carefully wiping down Hyunseong’s wet body and clothing him in fresh attire. 

Her touch was highly professional, yet seemed to contain a hint of heat. 

“Morgana.” 

“Yes, Onyx-nim.” 

“What happened while I was asleep?” 

At the very least, he needed to collect some information. 

As she styled his hair, Morgana spoke calmly. 

“During the three months you slept, many traitors deserted the organization. However, only the most loyal elites remain, having awaited this day.” 

Absorbing each piece of new information, Hyunseong followed her out into the corridor. 

The passage they entered sharply contrasted with any glory of the past a space built purely for survival. 

The cold metal walls bore no decoration, and the heavy, stagnant air pressed against his lungs. 

The lighting offered the bare minimum illumination, flickering as if saving power, making their shadows stretch long and gloomy behind them. 

“It’s not in good shape,” he murmured. 

Morgana’s face twisted as thin as paper as she walked ahead. 

“Those bitches, the Saviors, robbed us of nearly every resource with their large-scale onslaught. As if constantly meddling in our great undertaking wasn’t enough, they even dared to lay their filthy hands on your noble body, Onyx-nim! How infuriating…!” 

Her elegant face contorted in a snarl, the veins standing out on the whip she was gripping, and Hyunseong urgently soothed her. 

“A-hem, let’s calm down for now.” 

“Ahem… Apologies. Such a disgrace before you, leader.” 

Her hysterics aside, Hyunseong synthesized the following from her earlier explanations: 

First, he had possessed the body of a villain organization’s leader, as portrayed in magical girl or “sentai” (squadron) works. 

Whether this was headquarters or a branch he couldn’t tell, but the organization was in dire straits barely able to keep the electricity on. 

The cause of this downfall was apparently the group called the Saviors, who were likely the heroines he was meant to “capture.” 

‘After playing a hero, and a kid, now I have to pretend to be the boss of an evil organization? Not easy at all.’ 

“Onyx-nim.” 

“Hmm?” 

“You have only just awoken and may still feel unwell, but if you lead us again, our organization could quickly rise again.” 

Her tone was filled with blind faith. 

“After being nearly destroyed, our influence in the world is a shadow of what it was. But that’s also why now is the perfect chance to strike back.” 

‘Chance for a counterattack? In this condition?’ 

But her eyes were full of total sincerity. That meant they must have some trump card he didn’t yet know about. 

Still, asking about it directly would be enough to crack her blind trust. 

So instead of replying, Hyunseong imagined the arrogant air “Onyx Rex” himself would have as he stared her down sharply. 

“Morgana.” 

“Yes, Onyx-nim.” 

Sensing the change in the boss’s demeanor, Morgana straightened and prepared to listen carefully. 

“Show me.” 

“Show you? …” 

Morgana tilted her head momentarily, but then her eyes widened as if she’d guessed his deeper meaning, and she bowed deeply. 

“Ah! You mean ‘her.'” 

So they really did have something or someone for their comeback. 

But… “her”? 

“But Onyx-nim, you’ve only just awoken and are not at full strength. If you meet her now, who knows what might happen. I think it is still too early ” 

“It doesn’t matter. That’s an order. Take me to her now.” 

His words, steeped in as much authority as possible, made Morgana’s shoulders tremble. 

He felt sorry for overruling her heartfelt advice, but Hyunseong didn’t have the luxury of waiting. 

“If… If the great one commands it…♥” 

He inwardly grimaced at the flush on her cheeks, but he followed behind anyway, determined to ignore the trickle of clear fluid running between his legs. 

Clip, clop. 

Only the rhythmic sound of Morgana’s high heels echoed down the cold metal hall. 

Each time they passed, the remaining staff pressed themselves against the walls like shadows, bowing in reverence and longing. 

Yet their eyes weren’t on Hyunseong. 

What they saw was the vision of Onyx Rex, the boss, their savior who would rescue them from this impossible situation. 

At the end of the hall loomed a massive iron door. 

Morgana operated a panel with practiced ease, and with a heavy mechanical groan, the door slid open to both sides. 

Waiting within was a rugged industrial freight elevator. 

Clunk–! 

The elevator descended slowly and ominously into the depths below. 

The air pressed down heavier and heavier, the mechanical sounds falling away as ominous silence settled over the two. 

How far had they gone? Eventually, the elevator stopped and another thick steel door slid open. 

Inside was a darkness so deep it couldn’t be compared to anything from before. 

“Be careful. Though her power is sealed by restraints, with an opponent like this, you can’t be too careful.” 

After a soft warning, Morgana stepped into the wide central darkness. 

At the heart, suspended in the air by countless restraints and glowing energy-suppressing devices, hung a small girl with her head bowed. 

Her perfectly white dress and shimmering platinum hair, trailing on the floor, contrasted with her pitiful predicament, making her appear at once holy and heartbreaking. 

Morgana approached the captive girl, her voice slicing through the stillness with a mix of mockery and triumph. 

“Have you been behaving yourself today, Goddess?” 

At those words, the girl slowly very slowly lifted her head. 

The faint clink of chains followed her movement. 

Though her face was gaunt from long imprisonment, the emerald glow in her eyes had not dimmed. 

Inside them burned deep fear but also a holy will that refused to break. 

Those eyes were fixed directly on Hyunseong no, on Onyx Rex.