Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 158

The Memory of the Hero (2)

* * *

Aria Riverot.

The 21st Saintess of the Iron Kingdom.

There were countless rumors about her.

That the lofty heavens had directly chosen her from birth, that she was a distant descendant of a fallen royal family, that she was a person from another world.

However, when asked directly, she would give a curt reply.

-Why does it matter?

-Pardon?

-It doesn’t matter whether I became a Saintess from the streets or if I was born the daughter of the church. Hero, you just need to kill those bastards.

At the time, I thought she must have some unspeakable family affairs, so I let it go, but I later found out.

Even in the most desperate moments, isolated in the heart of the Demon Realm, facing death, she never told her story.

Furthermore, she never spoke of what divine revelations she had received from those archangels of heaven.

‘Come to think of it, it was strange. There was no mention of the previous Saintess or the previous Hero.’

It’s not just the Saintess.

Even though the Great Demon’s forces had been invading for over decades, no one in this world mentions the previous Saintess and Hero.

It’s as if… they had all lost their memories.

-You will end up the same. All those who are called Heroes have been like that, buried in light and glory, destined to wander in eternal oblivion…!

Looking back, there were several clues.

The village in the forgotten canyon, the old man who went mad as soon as he saw his Holy Sword.

The traces of combined skills engraved on the northern stone wall that had blocked the demon army in the early days of the war.

And even the Saintess’s voice shouting at him when he went berserk after repeated regressions.

-Wake up, God! You said you were going back to your world! If you give up here, nothing will happen. You might as well start over!

On the screen, another God is wielding a battle-scarred sword.

With his own unfinished movie in front of him, Gun closed his eyes.

‘Start over, that’s what she said.’

Perhaps it was because he had increased his synchronization rate with the Iron Kingdom’s ‘God’ through numerous works over the past three years.

Even without the medium of dreams, the lost memories are slowly returning.

‘I couldn’t have imagined it back then….’

The moment he recognized it, his thoughts expanded. The possibilities he had forgotten, or perhaps deliberately avoided thinking about, swirled in his head.

What if there was some reason for the lost memories when he returned to Earth?

Not a backlash from being ejected from that world… or the erosion of humanity due to repeated regressions, but someone deliberately tampering with his memories?

There was someone who could do everything.

As a close companion and a member of the expedition that had been with him in every iteration.

-They forget. When they see angels, they forget.

Gun remembers. The Saintess’s eyes wavering when the old man who cried out like a scream collapsed.

That night, the demon army advanced into the canyon. He looked to his side while cutting down Balmon’s three dukes.

Dazzling blonde hair, skin as white as if sculpted from light, the overwhelming divine power and healing magic emanating from the cross, the sacred object of the Order….

The number one figure in the Order and the most faithful servant of the lofty heavens, who summoned the Hero to the Iron Kingdom.

What was the Saintess hiding?

* * *

During the running time of over two hours, not a single person left the preview theater.

The commonality of well-made movies is twofold.

Either the audience holds back from going to the bathroom, or they don’t even think about going.

fell into both categories.

―Tell everyone, God has returned.

―No way! Who the hell is that?

―It’s destruction. Moving death.

The narrative built by Gwyn Raymond, a filmmaker from Manhattan who used to be a plumber, runs non-stop.

Crossing continents from Singapore to Turkey, God hunts down the members of the organization and finally encounters the executives of ‘Endo’.

The legendary actor Sean Balloon, who had declared his retirement, confronts his junior as a white-haired killer… and falls valiantly, showing off action that belies his age.

Pooh-shik!

A bullet fired at close range pierces his skull and causes a rain of blood. God, who lowered his gun, indifferently walks over and turns over the corpse’s wrist.

―This one is… four lines.

Endo’s symbol, a black snake with white lines that increase as the rank goes up, symbolizes violence that bites its tail.

Gwyn Raymond is a director famous for handling mythological symbols and philosophy well in his works.

This is fully demonstrated in the killers collapsing while circling the exterior of the Sagrada Familia in Spain, and the ‘climbing’ action of climbing the snow-covered steps of Angkor Wat like Sisyphus [a figure from Greek mythology condemned to eternally roll a boulder uphill, only to have it roll back down].

In this way, God massacres hundreds of killers in Spain and Cambodia, and finally reaches the top floor of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

―You’ve finally come this far.

Lord Alivalt Jayne.

A nobleman with the title of Duke, a wealthy man who has been loyal to the royal family for generations, and the current head of the killer organization Endo.

With the dark blue dawn sky behind him, he asks, holding a ceremonial rapier diagonally.

―I enjoyed your show. You’ve been slaughtering branches and branch managers all over the world.

―There was a reason for that.

―Ah, the disaster in the Philippines. Yes, I feel sorry for those poor children too. Would they have known that so many people would die because of them?

Before Lord Jayne, dressed in splendid attire, the family’s elite attendants gathered.

Each of them is a human weapon-class combatant, armed with state-of-the-art firearms and high-output laser cutters in bulletproof equipment worth hundreds of millions of won.

―In the end, you weren’t trying to get revenge. You just wanted to spread the hatred and anger that had accumulated in the sandstorms of Syria to the world. By killing both the enemy and yourself.

God does not answer. In his downward gaze, a bulletproof suit torn and burned in places is reflected.

His chapped lips move, creating words.

―I am….

What did he fight for?

From Detroit in his childhood, to Syria where he participated as a soldier, to this place where he arrived after mercilessly massacring Endo’s killers.

It was not for the revenge of the children, nor to destroy the world and nullify everything.

Only one thing, he just wanted to protect the hope that had reached out to him at the end of his life.

―The last guardian.

.

.

.

About ten minutes later, in front of Rockefeller Center.

To catch the former special agent with tremendous combat power, the city poured out all available forces.

The anti-terrorist special forces, the military, and the police were all dispatched to block the entrance, and even helicopters were flying in the sky.

Soon, anti-terrorist special agents fully armed with heavy weapons, helmets, and masks infiltrate the interior while spraying tear gas, but there are no survivors.

The remains of Lord Alivalt Jayne and his attendants are scattered in the hall, divided into dozens of pieces.

―….

To the far end, bloody footprints continue. The agents who followed the traces soon face each other in front of the center’s window where the wind is blowing.

The target… God has disappeared without a trace.

Did the monster who opposed the world soar into the sky? Or did he fall to the distant ground?

The camera captures the still dark sky, and white letters appear on the darkening screen.

Dum vita est, spes est [Latin for: While there is life, there is hope].

* * *

After the movie ended, the front of the hall where the premiere was held was congested for a while.

“Team leader, we have to upload it right now! If we’re five minutes late, we won’t have anything to eat!”

“Did you contact the desk? Only Jong-hoon is there? Tell that bastard to come right now!”

“Hey, I understand, but let’s talk outside. I’m saying I have to go and submit it myself!”

There are works that are overwhelming even without seeing the trends of critics or the public’s mood.

What if it’s a movie that gets a standing ovation even before the theater lights are turned on? There’s no need to say more.

While the audience was applauding, a few quick-witted reporters grabbed their phones and ran out.

Those with a little more connections were looking for celebrities who came to this event with their eyes on fire.

“Actress Lee Jang-mi, where did actress Lee Jang-mi go? She was here until just now.”

“I don’t know. Choi Phillip is over there, go and get an interview if you’re confident.”

When a reporter from another magazine glanced and said that, the reporter who was looking for Lee Jang-mi flinched.

This is because he is well aware of Choi Phillip’s prickly personality, especially to reporters. Besides, look, he’s muttering with a serious expression without even getting up from his seat.

“Damn it, something similar will never work. Should I give up on action at this opportunity? No, if I learn for a year or two and sweep the country….”

Meanwhile, Seo Hee-do and Byun Hwi-seung are giving an interview over there.

Usually, celebrities who come to the premiere leave when their schedule is over, but these people are the opposite.

“No, so that symbol is closer to the Odyssey than Sisyphus, right? Ask Hee-do, why are movie bloggers so shallow? Gwyn Raymond is originally good at twisting perverted symbols in a double way….”

“Wow! It was awesome! It was no joke, please write an article saying that when it’s released, we’ll bring all our members and company people to see it!”

Both are closer to just saying what they want to say rather than an interview, but anyway, they are enthusiastically discussing their impressions with flushed faces.

Similar scenes are happening here and there. In front of the ‘Butcher General’ actors, reporters who have turned on their laptops are taking down interviews.

“···It’s a mess. It’s not a premiere, it’s like an awards ceremony.”

A team leader-level reporter muttered in disbelief, but his hands are diligently flying over the laptop keyboard. The title of the article that was glimpsed is also extremely vicious.

[ A disaster called Park Gun that has swept towards existing action movies….]

It was completely overwhelming.

He also knows because he is an action movie maniac who prides himself on being a fan of ‘Kill Thorn’.

In terms of narrative, composition, color, directing, and visual beauty. And in terms of the decisive quality of action, a monster close to a masterpiece was born.

Even between a director from an independent film and an actor who debuted as an action supporting actor.

After uploading the pre-written article, he suddenly recalled a question he had forgotten.

‘…But where is Park Gun? I didn’t see him leaving, where did he go?’

* * *

Basement level 6, parking lot.

A young man in a suit jumps out of the elevator and crosses the parking lot.

It is Park Sun, holding a heavy bag in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

“It was supposed to be here….”

While wandering around the large parking lot covered in sweat, Park Sun’s eyes widened.

In the distance, he found a familiar silhouette behind a pillar marked 6F.

“Hyung!”

The bouquet that someone had given him was lying forlornly next to his long legs.

Park Gun, who was leaning against the pillar, raised one hand when he saw his younger brother.

“Seon-ah.”

Tiredness is evident in his long, delicate eyes. Whether it rains or snows, whether he has many or few schedules, he is the hyung [older brother or male friend] who stays in his seat when there are fans and acquaintances.

Moreover, isn’t today the main character? Park Sun’s voice naturally grew louder with the rush of worry.

“It’s okay, hyung. There’s no one here. If you’re sick, I’ll call an ambulance first….”

“I remembered.”

“Huh?”

Park Sun’s hand, which was about to press the number, stopped. Under the hair that was messed up because the setting was undone, a voice that resembled the old hyung flowed out.

“The things I had forgotten, quite a lot.”

* * *