GSC: Chapter 152-Seventeenth Ghost Story – The Apocalypse (1)

[2019, May 13th | Monday, 15:04]

[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts – 2]

[Ghost Story Points: 301]

[Causality Rate: 23%]

“Haa, haa……”

Thud, thud, thud, thud-

The black sky of ShinLim Neighborhood.

A giant god looking down at us from the universe beyond, with his back to the moon.

A winged catastrophe pouring down from the sky.

We were about to jump into that scenery.

“Sunah, stop—!!!”

Screech–

Running on the rooftop, I suddenly stopped in my tracks and blocked Sunah, who was about to jump off beside me.

Smack–

“Kyaaa-!!”

Sunah, unable to control her speed, crashed into me.

We tumbled across the rooftop’s cement floor, entangled with each other.

“Ugh……! Grab my hand……!”

I barely managed to grab Sunah’s hand and pull her back as she lost her balance and fell from the edge of the rooftop.

“Come here……!”

“Joo, Joon……?”

Thud-

Sunah wore a flustered expression by my sudden attitude.

Still holding Sunah’s arm, I ran back toward the rooftop door.

“Kyaah……”

“Haa, haa……”

“Joo, Joon……! What’s going on, all of a sudden……!!”

Sunah chased after me, a look of incomprehension on her face, unable to understand why I suddenly turned around and was heading back the way we came.

But I didn’t have time to explain.

“Damn, damn……”

Who is it? What? Why?

Who would do that?

“Haa, haa……”

I, I…. told them clearly to guard it, to make sure no one touched it.

Who would do that… Huh……?

I left four people there……

‘It can’t be, it can’t be.’

There must have been some… misunderstanding.

I bit my lip and hurried down the stairs.

“Whoa, hey! Hurry! Look at the window! Something’s coming down from the sky!”

“Wow, crazy… What is that…”

“Is it like an air balloon….. Didn’t it rise up to the clouds? It looks like a human-shaped balloon…..”

Each time I passed down the stairs, the screams of panicked students echoed clearly.

Koo-goong— koo-goong—

Immediately after, a massive sound of destruction, as if the earth was being overturned.

My ears began to ring at the screams of the students.

“Kyaaah-! Kyaaaaaah-!”

“The building! The building-!”

“Haa, haa.”

“Joo, Joon……”

Thud, thud, thud-

We came back down to the second floor amidst that.

Just as we were about to turn and run down the hallway, our homeroom teacher suddenly burst out from the broadcasting room.

Crash—!!

“Hi, hiiik… A, a monster〜!!”

Screaming like that, our homeroom teacher ran away in a panic.

I immediately kicked open the broadcasting room and rushed in.

[Geeeeeeeeeeee——]

“Get out, get out, damn it……!!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”

The place was completely in chaos.

It seemed something had come in through the window, as the glass in the window was shattered, completely broken into pieces.

Following the chaotic movements of the club members, I looked up at the ceiling. There, a foreign woman wearing a white headscarf was hanging upside down, devouring the human anatomy model in the air with a greedy hunger.

“Get out! Get out! Get out right away!!”

The club members were attacking the woman hanging upside down from the ceiling, throwing chairs and other objects.

However, the woman continued to chew on the human anatomy model, making a loud crunching sound.

From the ceiling, various plastic internal organs and dark red chunks of entrails mixed together fell wildly to the floor.

“Put the anatomy model down! Put it down!!”

Gyeongwon, his face reddened, somehow raised a chair to strike, while Dukhun, alongside him, angrily hurled books at the woman.

Soon, Hayoon came out of the soundproof room holding a long microphone stand, which she handed to Jinhee. Jinhee then ran over and, without hesitation, stabbed the stand into the torso of the foreign woman like a spear.

[Kyaaaahhh—-]

The woman screamed, her bright red hair spilling out from beneath the white headscarf, whipping around wildly as she thrashed.

The red strands of hair, flowing down from the ceiling, danced in the air, swirling wildly.

After a brief moment of struggling, the woman suddenly stopped, standing still with a wide grin on her face.

[Who’s reciting the Lord’s Prayer?]

Still hanging upside down from the ceiling, the foreign woman stretched her neck out, scanning the room with a wide grin.

[Who is it?]

“Our Father, who reigns in heaven…..”

“……”

“Ha–hallowed be Thy name…”

Amid the club members frozen in place by the incomprehensible scene, the voice of Yeseul, the devout Christian, drifted out, reciting her prayer.

“Th–Thy will be done on earth… as it is in Heaven…”

[On earth——]

The foreign woman crawled along the ceiling, defying gravity, until she reached Yeseul’s position. Hanging upside down, she stretched her neck out and beamed a wide smile right in front of the praying girl’s face.

Teacher Han Ari, who was standing on one side, and Vice Class President Chaerin on the other, recoiled in shock, stumbling backward in fear.

“Do, do not put us to the test… Sa, save us from evil…..”

[Babayetu, yetu uliye- Mbinguni yetu, yetu Amina-]¹[T/N: The phrase “Baba yetu, yetu uliye—Mbinguni yetu, yetu Amina” is in Swahili, a widely spoken language in East Africa. The phrase is the opening of a Swahili version of the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father), which translates to- Our Father, You who are— In Heaven, ours, ours, Amen”.]

“Save, save us from evil……”

[Utuokoe na yule, Muovue milele-]²[T/N: This phrase translates to “Save us from the Devil, cast him out forever”.]

Yeseul was praying while crying, and the woman was hanging upside down from the ceiling above her, smiling widely and humming a tune.

Gyeongwon, who had been standing still in shock, sidestepped toward me and quietly said,

“P, Prez… Virgin Mary……”

“……”

“I… I think I’ve seen her a few times while passing by a cathedral…..”

The elegant foreign woman with red hair, her figure seemingly surrounded by a halo.

A blue embroidered robe, something priests would wear, adorning her body, along with a white headscarf.

It was the same appearance as the Virgin Mary, whom I had often seen on the streets.

Except for the fact that she was hanging upside down from the ceiling, stretching her neck out with blood smeared on her lips and smiling.

[Did you memorize the Lord’s Prayer?]

“Fa, Father… please help me…”

Joo Yeseul cried, holding tightly onto the cross around her neck.

[Yeseul.]

The creature, with the appearance of the Virgin Mary, smiled benevolently while hanging upside down from the ceiling.

[It’s time to be thrown into the hellish cesspool and have your organs chewed on for eternity.]

“Kyaa, Kyaaaaaaaah-!! Kyaaaaak-”

The creature suddenly stretched its jaw wide and then bit into Yeseul’s ear.

Yeseul’s ears and clumps of hair were torn out by teeth, blood splattering in all directions.

“Kyaaaaaaaak—!!!!!!! Kyaaaaaaaah-”

Yeseul screamed as if her throat was tearing apart, thrashing wildly, while the Virgin Mary cackled madly with laughter.

[Your ears have been torn off like a horse’s ears. Let’s see if you can endure this too.]

“Aaaaah— Aaaaah-”

The monster seized Yeseul and dragged her toward the ceiling, then savagely tore into the nape of her neck, greedily slurping and chewing like before.

“Run, run away!!”

“Kyaaaaah-!!”

Only then did everyone ran out of the broadcasting room screaming like crazy.

I finally confirmed that even Teacher Han Ari had come out and then shut the door to the broadcasting room.

“Huu, huu, P, Prez……! Why did you come back!?”

“… Guys.”

I didn’t know how to explain, so I just looked around at the club members and swallowed my breath.

“… Did that thing eat the human model?”

“Ugh, y-yeah……! It suddenly broke in through the window and…..”

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

I nodded hesitantly.

The club members looked around in a panic.

Jinhee soon tapped me from behind.

“Hey, do you……”

When I turned around, I saw her with a terrified expression on her face.

Before Jinhee could say anything, I raised my hand to interrupt her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“What, what’s okay, Prez…?”

“Uh, yeah? I-it’s just okay.”

“Aren’t you going to kill yourself?”

“Why did you leave and then come back?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I nodded for now.

For now… I just nodded.

“Yeah. I understand.”

“What do you mean you understand since earlier! Hurry up and go!”

“Stop pressuring me!”

I suddenly snapped and yelled at Dukhun.

“…I-I said stop pressuring me…”

I hastily answered again, flustered.

“Okay, so just wait a second…..”

“……”

“L-let me sort out my thoughts. Just a moment…..”

“Joon… What’s wrong…?”

“You’re acting strange.”

Sunah and the other members asked with worried expressions.

But I had no room in my mind, too preoccupied with the worst-case scenario.

At that moment.

Crunch-!!

“Ugh, ugh-!! What is this!!”

“It’s a monster! A monster!!”

From the main faculty office connected to the broadcasting room, the sound of shattering glass erupted, followed by the teachers’ screams.

At the same time, an unidentifiable chanting echoed out.

[Musang simsim mimyobeop, baekcheon nangeop nanjo-u, ageum mun-gyeon deuksuji, wonhae yeorae jinsil-ui]³[T/N: The chant is written in Korean using Sino-Korean pronunciations of Classical Chinese (Hanja) Buddhist scripture. Translation of the verse is-Unsurpassed, profound, and subtle Dharma, In hundreds of thousands of kalpas, it is rare to encounter. Now that I hear, see, and obtain it, I vow to understand the true meaning of enlightenment.]

Baang-!!

“Ahhh-”

“Eeeeeee……!”

At the same time, the wooden door of the Vice Principal’s office shattered and pieces flew out, causing a few teachers to tumble into the hallway.

We, the Ghost Story Club, stepped back in shock.

[Chensu Cheonan Gwanjasae Bosal, Gwangdae Wonman Muae Daebisim Daerani]⁴[T/N: This verse translates to- Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes, Manifesting great compassion.]

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud-

Behind the broken wooden door, a golden Buddha with eight legs crawled out from inside. It grabbed the head of the Vice Principal, who had been shoved into the hallway, and brought its face close to hers.

[Buddha. Dharma. Reverence. Have you understood the Three Treasures? You crazy b*tch Jang Yeok, who dares to change the scripture, take refuge in these Three Treasures.]

Ugh, uuugh… uuuaaahhh…”

Then, the stern face of the Vice Principal, pressed against the Buddha’s face, began to melt. Flesh, blood, and muscle twisted into mucus before sloughing off onto the floor.

Ssszzzt—SZZZZZT—

“Kyah, kyaaaah…!”

“Oh, crazy……”

Teachers poured out from behind the Buddha, fleeing in terror, while the Buddha, chanting sutras once more, crawled along the wall.

“Joo, Joon……!”

“P, Prez……! What should we do, now……!”

I hurriedly pushed the backs of the panicking club members.

“G-Go up to the 5th floor for now! Let’s take shelter in the clubroom first!”

“Ye, yeah……!

“Let’s, let’s go……!!!”

The club members, completely frozen in panic, finally began to move toward their goal once someone started pushing them forward.

When placed in a situation like this, a person can only think in a one-dimensional way.

And I was no different.

On the surface, I was calmly leading the club members to safety, but my reasoning had already been paralyzed.

I, too, was merely acting out of habit in a situation like this.

Even though I knew it was completely useless.

Like someone who didn’t want to admit that they had made an irreversible mistake.

“Go up, go up……”

“Haa, haa……”

“Gah, gah……”

Even as I climbed the stairs with the club members, screams erupted from various parts of the school.

“S, save me! Ugh, ugh-!!”

“F*ck! Run away! Run away!!”

The inside of the school was filled with terrified students running in every direction, and outside, terrifying sounds erupted nonstop, as if a war had broken out.

Boom—BOOM BOOM—

Woooooo—

The ground trembled, and flashes of colorful lights flickered outside the window.

“Haa, haa.”

We finally arrived at the 5th floor.

Apart from a few students who had fled to escape the chaos, the hallway was still very quiet.

And aside from us, the members of the Band Club were at the end of the east hallway, shoving each other as they urged everyone to escape quickly. A few seniors had taken refuge in the Study Room, and I could see them making phone calls somewhere.

“To the clubroom!”

“Uh, yeah……!!

We rushed down the hallway, but when we arrived at our destination, someone was already standing in front of the clubroom.

“Teacher……?”

Standing silently in front of the club room was Teacher Jang Hwaeun.

She slowly turned her head to look at us, her nose was bleeding.

“Te-teacher, what are you doing? Let’s go inside together—”

“But the day of the Lord comes like a thief.”

Teacher Jang Hwaeun, still bleeding from her nose, suddenly opened her mouth wide and pointed at us with her hand.

“Before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn blood-red—”

♬ ♪ ♩ ♬

At the same time, my phone rang.

☏ Fourincess’ youngest Dasom

“……!?”

I pushed aside the teacher who seemed to have lost her mind and quickly entered the clubroom, then answered the phone.

“… Hello?”

At the same time, the club members rushed into the clubroom after me.

Soon, I heard the youngest member of Fourincess, Dasom’s, low muttering from the phone.

[…The era of the end of Degenerate Dharma has come, and Maitreya Buddha in heaven shall descend upon the Eastern land…]

“…Hello? Hello!?”

[The wheel, risen from the hell of heavenly annihilation, shall turn upon the earth…]

“Hello!? Dasom!?”

The call abruptly cut off with the murmuring voice.

As I lowered the phone, drenched in cold sweat, the club members urgently grabbed me and shouted.

“P, Prez! President! Look at that……!!”

“This is crazy… What the hell……”

“W-What on earth is all this……”

I was dragged by the club members to stand in front of the window.

And then, seeing the disasters unfolding beneath the black sky of ShinLim Neighborhood, I was left stunned.

Boom— Rumble—

Woooo… Woooooooo…

Winged angels glowing in the black sky poured down like rain, and a massive chariot rolled its burning wheels as it spun through the air.

A giant the size of a building, glowing purple, walked through the city with a smile, its entire body adorned with dazzling golden ornaments.

At the same time, headless soldiers riding white horses and radiating light flew over the buildings, dragging people around by their heads, while pillars of brilliant light occasionally burst through the dark clouds and poured on the ground, scorching the earth below.

All beings once revered as holy and sacred across all religions have descended to the earth, only to massacre humanity.

And watching it all from beyond the sky, seated in a lotus position with the blood-red moon at its back, was a colossal human-shaped figure.

God.

The Absolute.

There was no other way to describe it.

Holy and majestic beings once seen only in myths.

Now, reborn through the Demon King’s magic, they have manifested to judge humanity in this age of the apocalypse.