Nothing in this world ever resolved easily.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

"Ughhh!"

"Put in more strength."

"I-I'm trying!"

Baek Yuseol stood with his arms crossed, watching from a small distance as Cheonhwangjeong Palwol stretched her hand toward the Persona Gate's barrier.

Her face turned bright red as she exerted herself, despite lacking blood vessels to show such strain. But no matter how hard she tried, the Persona Gate's barrier remained unchanged.

"Do you think this method won’t work either?"

Ggotseorin glanced at Cheonhwangjeong Palwol with concern.

Despite regathering her resolve for the first time in centuries, intending to accomplish something through sheer willpower, not everything in the world could be achieved by determination alone.

"Honestly, I expected this."

Baek Yuseol nodded indifferently. Cheonhwangjeong Palwol was already nearly drained of energy. After suffering under Hoegong Siwol, even her very essence had dimmed. It would have been surprising if she managed to disrupt the barrier on her first try.

"Then what should we do now?"

"I think you might need to help out, Nunim."

"Me? But without the World Tree, I can’t..."

Ggotseorin cut herself off mid-sentence.

Baek Yuseol, who was born without mana, had accomplished so much. Yet she, who was blessed by the World Tree and born with immense natural mana, was useless without it. She suddenly felt embarrassed standing before him.

Whether or not he noticed her thoughts, Baek Yuseol continued nonchalantly.

"Since I have no mana, I can’t affect the barrier in any way. But unlike me, you’re one of the most powerful beings in the world, brimming with mana. I’m sure you’ll be of great help."

"But still..."

"If you’re worried about the World Tree, there’s no need to be."

"What?"

Her eyes widened in shock as he seemed to read her mind precisely.

Baek Yuseol grinned.

"Nunim, even without the World Tree, you’re capable of amazing things."

Her lips parted slightly, stunned, as she stood frozen in place. Baek Yuseol clapped his hands briskly, calling out to both women.

"Hah, hah... Sorry, but I can’t do it. No matter what I try, it’s useless!"

"I expected as much."

"What?"

"Let’s change our strategy. Honestly, if pouring mana into the barrier was enough to destroy it, don’t you think every mage would’ve resolved such situations by now?"

"You mean... you knew this wouldn’t work?!"

"I wasn’t sure. Who knows? Maybe the Twelve Moons could achieve something unexpected."

"Well, I am one of the Twelve Moons..."

"And yet, nothing happened."

"You... You’re mocking me, aren’t you?"

"Of course not. Don’t you know how serious I am about solving this issue?"

"Well... that’s true, I guess..."

Although Cheonhwangjeong Palwol lacked the empathy or healing abilities of Yeonhongchun Samwol, she could at least discern whether someone was being sincere. Her mastery over mental manipulation made her adept at reading emotions, even in her weakened state.

"Let’s head back to Baekryeong Highlands Fortress."

Baek Yuseol led the two women back to the heart of the Persona Gate, the fortress itself. The streets were still filled with those insane laughter-ridden lunatics, staggering around, while others laughed peacefully, going about their daily lives.

Except for the crazed ones, it was a surprisingly serene world. A place without worries or burdens, where people lived every day smiling.

It was, in a sense, paradise. But could something as flawed as a Persona Gate truly create a complete world?

Impossible.

There was a flaw.

The oppressive chains of forced happiness, compelling people to laugh, were suppressing their true emotions.

And as luck would have it, one of the most proficient manipulators of emotions, though not the best, was standing right here—Cheonhwangjeong Palwol.

"The second best?"

"Yeonhongchun Samwol is the best at managing emotions."

"I’m good too, you know."

"You excel at controlling and manipulating minds. I’ll give you that."

"Right?"

"Though you can’t even do that right now."

As Ggotseorin gazed around absentmindedly, she finally understood what Baek Yuseol had meant earlier.

Emotions.

Having inherited the deep blessings of Yeonhongchun Samwol, she was intricately connected to emotions. Even though most of her power now resided with Baek Yuseol, she still retained a fraction of her ability, enough to perceive emotions at a basic level.

"I... I understand. So, what should I do?"

"Wake them up."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes, very."

"But... Even if we did, what then?"

"The scenario I envisioned will unfold."

Cheonhwangjeong Palwol couldn’t grasp his meaning. Baek Yuseol sighed and began explaining.

"The Persona Gate dominates the minds of everyone within it and manipulates the space itself. It must expend an incredible amount of energy to sustain this control. If we disrupt that control all at once, what do you think will happen?"

"Uh..."

"The displaced energy will redirect itself. Most likely to the barrier."

"Oh..."

"But this isn’t an ordinary Persona Gate. The boundary between reality and this false realm has limits. When that energy surges into the barrier... well, it’ll expand."

And with that, Baek Yuseol’s plan would come to fruition.

"That makes sense..."

Understanding dawned on Cheonhwangjeong Palwol as she nodded, though her voice trembled slightly.

"That’s what it was about."

Up until now, she hadn’t fully understood what Baek Yuseol was aiming for. His vague explanations had left her in doubt, and she had hesitated to fully trust or follow him.

But now, she was convinced. This was the same Baek Yuseol who had repeatedly thwarted Hoegong Siwol’s schemes. He had analyzed the unfamiliar magic of the "Reality-Synchronized Persona Gate" and provided a plausible solution.

However...

"You want me to control all of their emotions?"

That was impossible.

It had taken her decades of effort just to manipulate a single child’s mind. For years, she had cursed the founder mage for making her power so limited.

"I... I can’t do it..."

"Yes, you can."

Baek Yuseol didn’t even look at her as he spoke, tossing out the words as though stating a fact.

"You’re one of the most powerful of the Twelve Moons. Why are you so afraid?"

"What...?"

"The same humans who created the Twelve Moons, capable of controlling space and time, also created you. And you’re the only one who can control even those humans."

"That’s... true..."

"Your power is the most dangerous, terrifying, and formidable in existence. So I hope you’ll use it for something good."

Cheonhwangjeong Palwol lowered her head. Baek Yuseol, growing impatient, opened his mouth to speak again but froze as he saw tears streaming down her face.

"H-Hey, what’s this now?"

"It’s nothing... I’ll do it... I’ll try..."

She turned away, her shoulders shaking, and began to walk.

Baek Yuseol sighed internally.

---1 •

"What... what is it?"

"It's nothing... nothing at all. I'll do it... I'll try..."

Cheonhwangjeong Palwol’s trembling voice carried through the area, her quiet sobbing impossible to hide. She turned her back, walking slowly and deliberately, avoiding showing her tear-streaked face.

"What even is this..."

Her head felt as though it were on fire. Crying in front of a young human—how humiliating. Yet, being acknowledged by someone she thought of as the most formidable opponent in the world brought a rush of pride and an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

She tried to dismiss it, but the warmth of Baek Yuseol's words seeped into her, leaving no room for denial.

Thump, thump. It felt as though a nonexistent heart was beating inside her chest.

"If I can’t even do this, I’m not worthy of being one of the Twelve Moons!"

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Cheonhwangjeong Palwol clenched her fists and raised her head.

The tallest tower loomed in the distance, a place once favored by Seolparam Dae-gong. Now, it had become her refuge, where she went to collect her thoughts.

"From up there... I’ll spread my power as far as I can."

Cheonhwangjeong Palwol marched toward the tower with newfound determination. Watching her from behind, Baek Yuseol called out.

"Ggotseorin, Nunim. Now it’s time for you to take on the hardest task."

"Me...?"

"Yes. Do you see the lunatics out there?"

Ggotseorin nodded.

Those lunatics were the same white haze-like creatures Baek Yuseol had faced before. Each was as formidable as a 7-Risk level threat, yet they now wandered aimlessly, capable of little more than laughing.

"The 9th-class black mage who subdued all of their minds was indeed incredible... but I believe Cheonhwangjeong Palwol’s abilities surpass that mage’s. She’ll release all of their mental bindings in an instant."

"...We can’t let that happen."

Unlike Cheonhwangjeong Palwol, Ggotseorin didn’t need detailed instructions. She already understood what needed to be done.

"When Cheonhwangjeong Palwol grants freedom to everyone in this space... I’ll stop those creatures from returning."

The number of lunatics within the Persona Gate easily exceeded hundreds of thousands.

Could she suppress them all?

That question didn’t matter.

Without the power of the Twelve Moons, without any significant magical training or extraordinary abilities, Ggotseorin still held onto one undeniable truth.

She excelled at managing emotions.

Her confidence soared because Baek Yuseol was standing right there.

In the Persona Gate, Baek Yuseol could do nothing.

He had placed all his trust in her, and now it was her turn to repay the love and support he had given her, fully and without hesitation.

"I will do this, no matter what."