In the Name of God - vanish into fiction

However, perhaps because the phantom was born specifically to target Lee Sunho, Seong Do‑yoon had been unable to perceive it.

It was only now, the moment Lee Sunho was finally alone, that the phantom showed a smile. As if it had been waiting for this exact moment.

…….

Lee Sunho knelt on one knee before the blue phantom. His gaze, which had been looking up, naturally shifted downward.

Just as he had always looked up to Him.

Just as He had always looked down upon him.

Lee Sunho reached out toward the phantom’s face. He knew it was an illusion, yet he wanted to touch Him, if only for a fleeting moment.

However, Lee Sunho’s fingertips merely passed through, creating small ripples across the phantom’s face. It was as if even a touch was not permitted.

Flinching, Lee Sunho withdrew his hand with complex eyes.

“Master… so this is what you looked like.”

Though it was blurred and not fully identifiable, the features were remarkably harmonious and beautiful.

It was a face of indescribable holiness, entirely different in essence from the current Seong Do‑yoon, who possessed a sensitive and sharp impression.

Such a person stood as if suspended, both arms bound by cold chains. In a state where he could not even make a sound.

From what point in time was this phantom projected?

Was it a fragmentary glimpse of His prime, or was it His appearance during the period when He was offering up His lifespan for him and this world?

Whichever it was, there was no doubt that this image had been pulled from the memories of the Guardian Deity residing within Seong Do‑yoon.

That was why his heart ached.

To think that the God, who said He had closed His eyes wishing for his well-being without a single lingering regret, had looked so pitiful.

And then, he felt a sense of guilt.

Because of the fact that he might end up keeping the God he loved so dearly by his side in a state not much different from this.

…Ah….

The phantom’s lips parted.

It was a very faint sound, but a voice resembling a groan was heard.

Lee Sunho felt his heart swell at that alone. He had heard nothing but a single groan-like voice, yet his heart fluttered and the corners of his eyes trembled.

The corners of the phantom’s mouth, which drew a pretty curve, moved slowly.

Lee Sunho instinctively realized that He was telling him “Thank you.”

Followed by “I’m sorry.”

He could not understand why He was saying such things, nor did he want to understand. If anything, He should have resented him.

“I’m sorry.”

As if echoing the phantom’s last words, Lee Sunho also let the words “I’m sorry” escape his lips.

Black shadows flowed from Lee Sunho’s face. The substance that had been stuck to his face like a mask soon fell away completely.

Soon, pitch-black pupils that had sunk to an unfathomable depth reflected the blue phantom. Even though his face had become markedly different from just a moment ago, the phantom met his gaze clearly, as if there were no way He could fail to recognize him.

“I… intend to destroy this world that you protected.”

The emotions that had been sleeping quietly in Lee Sunho’s heart reared their heads for a brief moment.

“One by one, I will shatter it into pieces and return it to Master.”

The smile began to fade from the blue phantom’s face.

His face became one of wonder, embarrassment, and confusion.

Lee Sunho smiled brightly while looking at such a phantom.

“It is Master’s fault.”

The shadows that had been spread wide across the floor began to fluctuate violently. The shadows, resembling an abyss, rose high like a wave behind the blue phantom’s back.

A chuckle resembling a mischievous boy’s escaped Lee Sunho’s mouth.

The corners of his eyes distorted, and his crimson mouth turned up longer than ever before.

A twisted energy that could not be defined as good or evil filled his two eyes.

He was clearly smiling, yet he also seemed to be crying.

“You, who left me all alone… you are the one at fault.”

The moment the blue phantom opened His mouth as if wanting to say something.

The high-rising shadow struck Him at once. A silent scream was swallowed by the shadow, and soon, a sharp cracking sound was heard.

In the place where the shadow vanished, an old metal rosary lay split in half.

It was the item the young child, who claimed not to believe in God, had held onto until the very moment of death, unable to give up hope for God’s advent.

But it was no longer needed.

The God he loved so dearly was already on this earth, by his side.

Looking down coldly at the phantom’s medium, Lee Sunho picked up the radio he had received from the investigation team leader.

“It is over.”

Leaving only that single sentence, Lee Sunho turned away without a single lingering regret.