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Baek Ho was dumbfounded.
He couldn’t trust his ears, and Nana kept humming in a soft voice.
“I’ll sue all the hate comments~ No settlements~ Everyone goes to the Undead~”
Her eyes rolled back.
More than half the whites showed.
Her delicately clasped hands trembled.
The stranger her odd behavior continued, the faster the Cow Mask’s wound healed.
“Love is bullshit~ Just talking to a guy and everyone’s losing their minds~”
Darkness gathered behind Nana’s head as she bobbed back and forth.
A faint cruciform coalesced into something distinct.
A left hand.
Long, slender fingers folded except for the middle finger.
It took the shape of a凸 character.
“Image management my ass~ Go manage your boyfriend who slides into DMs~”
The Pig Mask stepped back.
Was this really the angelic girl he knew?
What was with the rolled-back eyes and the sudden middle-finger theatrics?
A moment ago it had seemed like some profound healing ritual.
Now she looked like a mad witch performing a sacrifice to the god of death.
“I fucking love luxury goods~ I have so many at home~ Who cares if they’re rich~”
“Uh…”
Baek Ho was equally flustered.
He’d felt queasy ever since Nana rolled her eyes back.
It felt like someone had stuck a straw into his heart and was sucking out black magic power.
“Authentic music my ass~ Your tone-deaf ears wouldn’t get it anyway~”
“……“
As he tried to pull his hand away, Nana grabbed Baek Ho’s wrist.
Her murmured song stopped.
Her rolled eyes flicked and glared at Baek Ho.
She licked blood-stained lips with her tongue and said.
“Oh gods… Just a little more…”
“Hic…”
Baek Ho hiccupped.
Not from surprise, but from intoxication.
He found himself blurting an excuse.
“There are still friends fighting outside… and I also need to go to the bathroom…”
He knocked Nana’s hand away with his other hand.
When the black magic cut off, Nana lost consciousness and collapsed.
“Wow… fuck…”
The Pig Mask sobbed.
It wasn’t tears of joy at a comrade’s survival, but sobbing born of fear.
“Hey Pig… you too, hurry and go help…”
“Ah… O-okay!”
The Pig Mask bolted out like fleeing.
Baek Ho quietly stood up too.
He half-removed his scales and looked at Nana.
“…What the hell are you?“
Her recent behavior resembled the divine power they’d learned about at school.
Prayer, radiance, healing.
But it didn’t make sense.
Humankind could no longer use divine power.
All the gods who would grant healing blessings were gone.
And that’s not all.
In the first place, the Undead cannot use divine power.
It was the result of turning the priests of the Hunter era into the Undead.
There was the exceptional case of Mother Selena, but her ability was more as a conduit for the gods, not accumulation of divine power in her body, so it was possible.
Besides, Nana’s recent demeanor was far from holy.
‘Please don’t tell me it’s a brain issue? She did look unstable…’
Rustle-
Nana shifted and Baek Ho stepped back.
He quickly left the spot.
—
A White Bone Society necromancer hid behind concrete rubble.
“Goddamn this…”
This was an unexpected turn.
A Reaper among the Liberation Army?
And not just any Reaper, but such a high-performance one.
That wasn’t all.
Judging by movements that seemed to have eyes at the back and the rapid regeneration, there was definitely a necromancer too.
Does it make sense for a necromancer to travel with the Liberation Army?
From what are they trying to liberate themselves?
Isn’t it a world ruled by necromancers?
{familiar ‘No.16’ has become incapacitated.}
{The connection to familiar ‘No.2’ has been severed.}
He had no minions left to revive.
The opposing Reaper had smashed them so thoroughly that even the surviving vessel (implanted devices) couldn’t function properly.
“Fuckin’ hell…”
He put his hand in his pocket and fiddled with a small gun.
He was ready to fire if necessary.
“We’re all dead…”
He peeked around the wall.
The blasts and impacts had quieted down.
They were far enough from the battlefield for now, but pursuit would come soon.
He planned to hide his presence and get to his shelter.
“Siléntĭum.”
He used black magic power to silence noises and moved.
Thanks to the ruins of the old civilization, there were plenty of places to hide visually.
He passed through a building that used to be a restaurant.
He went past an electronics market.
Then, as he passed a toppled car.
Flap-
A crow fluttered and landed on the car door.
The Necromancer grimaced.
He remembered the trouble that tiny creature had caused earlier.
“Get lost… shoosh…”
He threatened the crow and then darted off again.
For a necromancer, he had good stamina.
That had earned him trust within White Bone Society and allowed him to operate outside.
He was confident he’d reach his hideout quickly…
Bang-
The wall of a nearby building exploded.
A hole had been blasted open.
Beyond the dust and crumbling wall, a massive figure loomed.
Bulging eyes, flaring nostrils.
Magic vapor and blood-soaked prosthetic limbs leaked from between its lips.
At the sight of that hellish, machine-orc-like figure, the necromancer hit the ground on his ass.
“Ugh, ugh!”
He screamed and pulled the gun from his pocket.
—
Baek Ho stopped all sorceries.
The crow vanished and the dragon-scale overlay disappeared.
He’d informed Frank of the necromancer’s position, so it was completely over now.
“Phew…”
He swallowed the blood rising in his throat.
The Pig Mask and Chicken Mask, who had finished fighting in the side alley, walked over.
From snippets of their conversation, they were talking about the Cow Mask’s condition.
The Chicken Mask was relieved, while the Pig Mask said, “You should’ve seen it…”
“Good work.”
The two bowed slightly at Baek Ho’s words.
“Is it over now…?”
Baek Ho shook his head at the Chicken Mask’s question.
“We don’t know for sure, so hurry. Move immediately.”
The Chicken Mask and Pig Mask lifted the Cow Mask onto the cart where Frank had been lying.
They didn’t touch Nana, assuming Baek Ho would take care of her.
Or maybe they were just too afraid to approach.
Sss-
Baek Ho took out a black candle, put it between his lips, and stood by the window.
The acrid, thick smoke churned inside him.
Pain spread.
It quickly dulled and his vitality converted into black magic power.
“Huff…”
It wasn’t enough.
In the end he opened his hip flask and drank vodka too.
His throat burned and his insides felt seared by fire.
He hadn’t even seen a single demonic being’s hair, yet his body was already wrecked.
Black magic power surged upward.
‘I should’ve been more careful…’
He expected pursuit, but not at this time and place.
Had they predicted his path and waited in advance?
Or did they risk tracking him through the night?
He should’ve remembered that dealing with demonic beings and other species is completely different from dealing with humans.
His father used to say that.
Learning and actual combat are different.
Anything can happen outside.
It was a lack of experience as a commander.
Anyway, it was settled for now.
Now he just needed to finish up at the destination and return to daily life.
‘Where’s Frank by now?’
For a moment he wondered what the guy would say to Nana.
He’d been secretly bothered that he couldn’t go to the concert.
He felt relieved thinking this would finally resolve it.
He wondered if that’s why he’d impulsively accepted Nana’s request.
He turned and looked at Nana.
She was in a deep coma.
She’d pushed the magic in her body to its limit, so she wouldn’t wake soon.
“…Is she heavy?“
Normal Reapers are heavy.
They’re heavy because parts of their bodies are chunks of metal.
Advances in magi-engineering made them lighter, but a comparatively frail necromancer couldn’t carry a Reaper on their back.
He should’ve had Frank carry her.
The thought of that guy making a fuss already made the back of his head throb.
Just as he reached out to pat her.
Screeeeech-
A loud noise rang out not far away.
A green flare shot up from a gap in the building rubble.
Baek Ho’s mouth gaped and the black candle fell to the floor.
The Chicken Mask and Pig Mask reacted the same.
They froze and looked up at the green flare.
Bang!
The flare exploded in the air.
A green cloud spread.
A sharp scent wafted with the wind.
“……“
“……“
“……“
The three men froze.
Their mouths hung open or they clutched their heads.
They were several times more horrified than when they’d seen Nana’s sudden change.
“Run, run!”
Baek Ho shouted at the top of his lungs.
He ran toward Nana.
He grabbed her up and sprinted away from the green cloud.
The cart carrying the Cow Mask sped past beside Baek Ho.
“Aaah!”
“Move!”
The Chicken Mask and Pig Mask, being Awakening-enhanced in physical abilities, quickly outpaced Baek Ho.
Normally they’d have carried Baek Ho or put him on the cart, but there was no time for that now.
Instinct took over.
They ran as if their lives depended on it.
“Frank! Where are you!”
-He’s coming!
Baek Ho looked back.
Frank was smashing through a building and running over.
He was more desperate than when he went after the Necromancer.
His face was pale.
His ferocious look was gone, replaced by a terrified deer.
“We’re fucked!”
Frank rushed up, took Baek Ho and Nana onto his shoulders.
His kingkong-leg at full power spewed blue vapor relentlessly.
Forgetting who he was carrying, he chased after the Chicken and Pig masks.
“Hey! Chicken!”
Baek Ho called out while dangling from Frank’s shoulder.
“What kind of demonic beings species is inhabiting the area?!”
“Insectian!”
Of all things, agile insects!
“Run faster!”
They sprinted like mad.
They quickly left the ruins behind.
They could see the forest they’d passed through yesterday.
Their destination was the opposite side.
But what did it matter?
First, they had to survive.
And not long after.
They were forced to stop.
Crunch-
The dense trees ahead began shattering from a distance.
They halted and looked around.
Behind them the ruins’ concrete debris crumbled, and to the right a hazy dust rose.
They turned to the left.
A green tidal wave was rolling in from that direction.
Not mere wind-tossed underbrush, but a green tsunami.
“Fuck…”
The Chicken Mask let go of the cart’s handle.
He slumped down as if collapsing.
“We’re all dead…”
There was nowhere to run.
His Smartbone proved it.
{!Warning!}
{demonic beings energy detected.}
{Prepare for combat.}
The flare shot by the White Bone Society necromancer was a pheromone concentration to lure demonic beings.
Also known as a Monster Call.
In the Hunter era it was used to efficiently hunt demonic beings.
Nowadays, when fights with other species go poorly, it is used to lure nearby demonic beings to turn the battle into a three-way free-for-all.
In short, a last-ditch effort.
Its long history as a product made it easy to obtain, and it performed well.
“Get down.”
Frank set Baek Ho down on the ground.
Baek Ho stared with cold, sinking eyes at the approaching demonic beings horde.
Rumble rumble-
The forest split open and the shapes of the demonic beings appeared.
At first glance it looked like a spider the size of a dump truck.
Its green carapace reflected sunlight like iron armor, and its hairy legs looked like excavator arms bolted on.
Baek Ho’s ocular implant automatically scanned the demonic beings.
{Level 4 Insectian ‘Silkroller’ detected.}
{!Warning!}
{They are numerous.}
{Based on your unit’s combat power, victory probability is 0%.}
{Retreat is recommended.}
The commander-only system installed in the Smartbone displayed warning messages.
One or two might have been manageable, but not such numbers against Baek Ho who had only one familiar.
That wasn’t the only problem.
So many Silkrollers gathering meant the Forest Queen had come as well.
Thud-thud-thud-
A mountain approached from afar.
A gigantic demonic being that looked like a mountain was coming this way.
With each step the ground shook and trees swayed.
Its rock-like shell was perforated with caves, and beneath its carapace countless pincers were smashing the surroundings.
The Forest Queen, who had been guarding her territory underground until recently, was now coming here to claim this abandoned land.
Zzzzz-
Baek Ho’s ocular implant activated.
The commander-only system sent notifications.
{Encountered Level 7 Insectian ‘Samrimnokhu’.}
{!Warning!}
{The opponent is unbeatable.}
{Retreat success probability is 0%.}
{Deactivate your familiar to preserve the vessel.}
{The Grave thanks you on behalf of humanity for your efforts.}
{Would you like to leave a final message?}
“Fuck off.”
{Saved.}
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