The next morning brought news that changed everything.Jang Yul arrived in Seoul.She appeared in the Harmony Initiative headquarters without warning. One moment, empty room. Next moment, ancient Shinigami guardian standing there like she had always been."The island is gone," she said without preamble. "Consumed by the Dream Realm. The barrier collapsed there first. Now the collapse is spreading. Fast.""How long?" Baekho asked."Two weeks. Three at most. Then the barrier falls completely. Worldwide."Two weeks. Not months. Not even a full month. Two weeks to prepare for apocalypse."We need to accelerate everything," Choi Minho said. "The anchor points. We have not even started building them.""Forget the anchor points," Jang Yul said. "There is not enough time. We need a different strategy.""What strategy?""Offensive. Instead of defending the human world, we attack the Dream Realm. Strike at the Dream Lords directly. Cut off the head of the snake.""That is suicide," Hong Wonho s

The return to Seoul should have felt like a victory. Instead, it felt like a funeral.Of the two thousand fighters who entered the Dream Realm, only eight hundred came back. The casualties were devastating. Every Hunter guild had lost members. Every military unit was decimated. The Harmony Initiative alone lost twenty three people.Baekho attended every memorial service. Looked into the eyes of grieving families. Heard them cry and scream and blame him."You led them to their deaths!" one father shouted at a service for fallen soldiers. "My son is dead because you convinced him to follow you into hell!"Baekho had no defense. It was true. He had led them. They had followed. Many had died."I am sorry," was all he could say. "I am so sorry."But sorry did not bring anyone back.The government response was swift and brutal. Yoon Nari appeared at Harmony Initiative headquarters with armed guards."You promised accountability," she said coldly. "Well, here it is. You are being charged wit

The God of Death walked through Seoul leaving destruction in his wake. Not intentional destruction. His very presence warped reality. Buildings cracked. Plants withered. People who got too close aged years in seconds.The government responded immediately. Military forces established a perimeter. Kept civilians away. But they did not attack. How do you attack a god?Yoon Nari watched the satellite feeds with growing horror. "This is what happens when you let someone accumulate too much power. They stop being human. Stop caring about human concerns.""He saved us," Choi Minho argued. "He defeated the Last Dream Lord. Saved two hundred civilians.""And in the process became something worse than the Dream Lords. A god without humanity. Without morality. Without limits." Yoon Nari turned to her advisors. "We need contingencies. Ways to stop him if he goes rogue.""You cannot stop a god with conventional weapons.""Then we find unconventional weapons."Meanwhile, the Harmony Initiative was

The next morning, Baekho woke up coughing blood. The cost of transferring sixty years of his life to Choi Iseul was manifesting. His body was aging faster internally, even though he still looked seventeen.Dr. Cho Kyul, who had been treating Ha Chaewon and now worked with the Harmony Initiative, examined him thoroughly."Your organs are showing signs of advanced aging," the doctor said grimly. "Your heart, lungs, liver... they are all functioning like those of a seventy year old man. You should not even be able to walk around.""But I can.""Because your supernatural abilities are compensating. But that is temporary. Eventually, your body will give out." Dr. Cho looked at his charts. "You have maybe six months. A year if you are very lucky.""Six months is enough time to save the world. Probably.""This is not a joke, Baekho. You are dying.""I have been dying since I was born. We all have. I am just dying faster." Baekho stood up. "Do not tell anyone else about this. Especially not C

The news of the successful containment spread quickly. Worldwide celebrations erupted. The immediate threat was neutralized. Humanity had survived.But the Harmony Initiative was in mourning. Three members lost. Not dead, which would be bad enough. But worse. Trapped forever in the Deep Dream. Experiencing eternal nightmare.Baekho barely slept for a week. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw them. Hong Wonho's confident smile. Shin Sola's fierce determination. Lee Rowoon's nervous courage.All gone because he had led them into hell."You need to stop torturing yourself," Choi Iseul said one morning. She had barely left his side since they returned. "They chose to go. They knew the risks.""Knowing the risks does not make losing them easier.""No. But blaming yourself does not help either."Baekho knew she was right. But guilt did not care about logic.The government, meanwhile, was not celebrating. They were planning.Yoon Nari called an emergency meeting. Not just Korean officials.