Alertness (2)

The expedition team’s Red Gate attack proceeded smoothly.

Fortunately or not, the monsters that appeared in the Gate were goblins, which were treated as the lowest grade, and although there were quite a few mutated “Hobs,” with the expedition team’s strength, they were only insignificant monsters they could toy with, yawn widely at, and slaughter.

“It seems we have almost reached the core’s location.”

At Seol Yeon-u’s shout, Han Sang-gil stepped forward.

“I will dig out the ground, so let the rest be handled by the young ones.”

After saying that, Han Sang-gil took out the Necronomicon, and everyone looking at it sent him curious gazes.

Since they could see the legendary grimoire they had only heard about right before their eyes, they naturally had no choice but to pay attention to it, and at that moment, when an enormous amount of mana began pouring out through the Necronomicon, everyone let out exclamations of admiration.

“It is incredible. I can understand why Master Han Sang-gil stood at the highest position among black mages.”

Han Sang-gil smiled awkwardly at the praise from a psychic-type master. He naturally completed the magic by using patterns and imprints, then poured a tremendous power straight beneath the ground.

At that instant, the earth burst out as though being pushed in all directions and formed a mountain, and in the blink of an eye, an enormous pit more than 100 meters deep was created. Everyone marveled as they saw the black sphere and the core floating alone in the center.

“This is the first time we have found it this easily. And it is also unexpected that there are no giants.“

Only then did everyone realize, just as Seol Yeon-u had said, that there should have been a giant.

“…Could it have already escaped somewhere?”

As An Sang-ik expanded his senses and began operating his aura, tremendous power swirled, but since there was no sign anywhere of a monster with strong power, they could not help but find it strange.

Then he carefully asked Han Sang-gil.

“Could it perhaps have been torn apart by the magic?”

“My magic was not used with that much killing power. It feels as though something is there, so stay alert.”

Because the uneasy feeling would not leave him, he said that, and since no one could ignore Han Sang-gil’s words, everyone raised their momentum.

Meanwhile, a cardinal of the Fallen of the Sea Order quietly stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“I will pressure the black sphere, so please have the others handle the core.”

They could not delay time like this, so they came to that conclusion, and An Sang-ik rolled up his main arm and spoke.

“I will handle it. In any case, physical force will be necessary to tear the slime away from the core.”

“It may be dangerous. It may escape my control, so caution will be necessary.”

An Sang-ik and the cardinal of the Fallen of the Sea Order, Ju Gyeong-tae, answered by nodding.

The two quickly descended along the ground, and the remaining personnel began preparing for any possible situation.

In truth, the presence of a giant felt like an established rule, and until now, a giant had existed in every Gate.

But because the situation was so sudden, if Seol Yeon-u had not pointed out this strangeness at first, everyone would have simply continued the work while staring only at the core and the black sphere.

And just as the two reached the core, Seol Yeon-u, whose senses were sharp, urgently shouted.

“The ground is strange! Something… Something feels off!”

At those words, a psychic Awakener hurriedly lifted his body into the air, immediately raised the power of wind, protected the two people beneath the ground, and slowly descended.

The others were also responding similarly at that moment.

Kwaaaang!! With a tremendous roar, a massive something burst out through the cone-shaped hollowed ground.

“It’s a Worm!!”

They quickly identified the enemy, and the instant they realized that the giant existed in the form of a “Worm,” everyone immediately began responding.

A mage calmly used light-attribute magic to draw the giant’s attention and targeted the organs used for “sight,” a psychic Awakener made the ground sticky to restrict its movement, and another blew wind to send the dust raised by the giant into the air and secure visibility. With this swift response befitting the word master, the cardinal of Fallen of the Sea and An Sang-ik were able to safely create distance and respond to the Worm.

“We do not have time, so let us go at full strength.”

At An Sang-ik’s words, the cardinal of Fallen of the Sea nodded.

His specialty was “buffs,” and in an instant, divine language rose up and wrapped around An Sang-ik’s body.

Then An Sang-ik, covered in golden words, poured out the powerful aura that had earned him the title of hero and contained it in his body. Just looking at him made it seem as though a god of war had descended, drawing admiration. The Worm, drawn in by the brilliant cluster of light, pushed its huge head forward toward An Sang-ik despite the interference from above.

“It seems I looked like prey. All the better. Let us make this easy!!”

Kwaang!! With that sound, the ground where An Sang-ik had stood collapsed heavily, and An Sang-ik sprang upward while creating explosive speed through that rebound force.

It was an extremely dangerous situation because it was a frontal clash, but no one worried about An Sang-ik’s safety.

That was because his fame as one of the three great heroes of the Republic of Korea was not for nothing.

The overwhelming miracle of destruction emitted from his massive body, as if it had been forged from steel, stretched forward following An Sang-ik’s swung fist.

Jjeoeong!! The Worm’s head and his fist collided, and the sound of steel grinding against steel spread throughout the battlefield, but the result caused a miracle so absurd that it made no sense.

Peoeong!! The Worm’s head burst apart.

Countless fragments and the Worm’s bodily fluid sprayed out in an instant and soaked the ground, then soon raised wisps of smoke and burned the ground. But unlike that effect, the Worm could no longer even writhe.

“Hoo, it is tiring to go all out after so long.”

An Sang-ik landed on the ground, having put the “giant” to rest with a single blow.

Just in case it might revive because it was a “worm,” Han Sang-gil quickly cast curses of deterioration and corrosion on the Worm’s corpse and began melting it away. Meanwhile, the cardinal of Fallen of the Sea, Ju Gyeong-tae, calmly approached the core again and poured out majestic divine power to wrap around the black sphere.

Afterward, An Sang-ik approached and used his enhanced body to separate the black sphere from the core, then destroyed only the core. Since the internal environment changed instantly and began to shake, An Sang-ik looked back at everyone and spoke.

“You have all worked hard, so we will rest for three hours and then head outside so we can return quickly. That is all!”

Then An Sang-ik grabbed the black sphere and roughly tore away the slime chimera that felt like an outer shell.

“Are you truly going to do this?”

Ben Smith, the captain of the Sea Sun Brigade, met the gaze of his comrade Marcelo.

“…My emotions are like a torrent. Unless I correct the flow now, I will eventually run wild.”

Ben knew the circumstances behind why Marcelo was acting this way.

His beloved lover had been sacrificed.

She had died after being attacked from the outside, to the point that the layers of secret defensive barriers Marcelo had spread around her had been useless. Because of this, Marcelo had left the operation area and rushed all the way to the Netherlands, and Ben had barely caught up to him and stopped him.

“I know your heart. But it is not a monster you can handle alone. So… I would like to help you, if I can.”

“Ben, this is not your fight. This is a fight between me and Beral. It must bear my rage.”

Ben swallowed a groan.

At that moment, the other comrades of the Sea Sun Brigade arrived one after another and surrounded Marcelo. They placed their hands on his body and sympathized with the despair and anger Marcelo must have been feeling.

“I, Robin, also understand your anger, Marcelo. I, too, know the pain of losing someone I loved. So can you help me stand with you?”

At Robin’s words, a close friend of his, Marcelo placed his hand on Robin’s shoulder. Then the other comrades of the Sea Sun Brigade likewise came to comfort Marcelo, and as Marcelo looked at the six comrades who had quickly rushed over, he calmly expressed his anger and spoke.

“Is my revenge just?”

“I… Ben Smith declare it just.”

“Is my anger rightful?”

“I, Robin Willow, declare it rightful.”

“Thanks to comrades greater than I deserve, I can avoid being swept away by fate, so I earnestly ask you. Will you join me in my trial?”

At those words, everyone nodded.

Afterward, the seven elites of the Sea Sun Brigade headed to France to punish Beral.

Meanwhile, most of China’s cities had emptied, and the reason was simple.

Even though they had completed the proclamation including the Church of Ruin as the state religion, Saturn’s massacre had not stopped.

With a single light gesture as casual as a joke, countless lives died, and everything collapsed to the point that the terrain changed from the wave of power he swung as if it were light entertainment.

At that overwhelming majesty, the continent held its breath, and the Church of Ruin rejoiced.

The procession of mad believers who accepted even their own deaths as noble sacrifices followed endlessly behind Saturn. At that moment, someone appeared before Saturn.

“It has been a while, has it not?”

An Asian woman with an extremely beautiful appearance spoke, and at her words, Saturn showed such a bright smile that it seemed as though he had forgotten all the massacres until now. He rushed toward her as if a child were running toward someone he missed and embraced the woman.

“It has been a while. What should I call you here?”

“I am Jo Yun-hui. I began in a small country called Korea, one with great potential.”

“Am I with you too?”

“I do not think that will be easy.”

Saturn made an expression as though he could not understand and emitted his force. At that wave of power, countless fanatics collapsed while bleeding from all seven orifices.

Even so, they trembled in joy and rejoiced, drenched in delight. Separately from that, because Saturn revealed displeasure, Jo Yun-hui explained the situation.

“It is simple. There is a powerful being who can face you.”

“There cannot be a human like that, can there?”

“There is. He even awakened recently.”

“…Impossible. I will win.”

“It is obvious that you will win. However, the damage will not be insignificant. The reason is simple. You will not be facing only that one person.”

“…Are you saying I would lose to mere humans?”

This time, Saturn released a hostile wave of power toward Jo Yun-hui, but Jo Yun-hui lightly brushed it aside, calmly stroked Saturn’s head, and spoke.

“That is absolutely not what I mean. It is just… because you have not recovered your complete power right now. You became excited and carried out massacres, and you wasted power as if it were almost amusement. Right now… it is time to find the seed and absorb it. If you become excited and make the wrong choice, perhaps you may flicker out.”

At those calm words, Saturn flinched in surprise and met Jo Yun-hui’s gaze.

Saturn was surprised by the fact that not the slightest lie was contained in her eyes, and after a moment of thought, he spoke.

“As He wills…”

“You thought well. Saturn, good child….”

Saturn once again wore a bright smile, and Jo Yun-hui came to smile as she imagined what the end of this world would be like with calmly sunken eyes.