Red Gate Subjugation (4)

It was difficult to determine exactly what it was, but one thing was certain.

That thing was going to become a super-giant monster. Since it felt as though it was about to hatch, I immediately looked around and said,

“Rather than killing it right away, it seems better to deal with it after it wakes up, so let’s prepare.”

At those words, the masters scattered and began preparing curses.

I too released magic power and considered which curse would be the most suitable, and just then Go Yu-jin asked,

“What if it is an entity with magic resistance?”

“That is certainly possible, but even if that is the case, we only need to lower its resistance. We are people who can do that.”

In truth, compared to ordinary mages, black mages handled far more spells that could pierce an opponent’s magic resistance.

Because of this, black mages were troublesome opponents, and on top of that, many of them could even handle undead, so they were generally described as beings possessing formidable military power.

If it had resistance, we only needed to lower it, and if it was a monster we could not handle with magic, then the government troops and physical Awakeners waiting outside the Gate could be deployed in large numbers to deal with it.

However, no matter how strong its resistance might be, it did not feel like a monster that this many people could not resolve.

“What is going on!”

At that moment, I turned my head at the shout of An Sang-ik, who had just appeared, and he approached in horror at the situation of the enormous amount of magic power swirling around us and asked,

“What is this…?”

“It seems to be the main body behind the Red Gate. It looks like this thing is going to hatch, so we are planning to watch.”

“…It would be better to deal with it now.”

“There will be no damage. Everyone is preparing magic, so there is no need to worry.”

“I am someone in a position where I must protect this country, and I am someone who believes that any threat must be resolved while minimizing it.”

An Sang-ik’s answer was filled with firmness, but we too had something to say.

“If damage occurs, we will handle it even if we have to grind down our very souls.”

“…Do you know how dangerous a gamble this is?”

“There is no one here who does not know that. So let us watch, shall we?”

An Sang-ik wore a grave expression as he considered it, but seeing that everyone had completed their magic and had even prepared additional Memorize spells, he finally took a step back.

Then An Sang-ik asked cautiously,

“Do you think all Red Gates will be like this?”

“I do not know. But what I can say is that something regarded as the ‘core’ can be felt beneath that giant. This is certainly not a Gate without a core.”

“I see…. That will be useful information.”

“There seems to be no need to go out of our way to tell hostile countries.”

“It would be right to pursue practical gain, but even so, as human beings we cannot cast aside our moral duty. It would be best to trade it at an appropriate line.”

Since we were already in a situation where we were supposed to extract a great deal in return, I was thinking he would handle that matter well enough on his own when—

“The direction of the magic power has changed!!”

It was Han Sang-gil’s shout from the front, where he had been preparing curses, and since I too had already realized it, I shouted to everyone,

“It looks like it will hatch soon, so stay sharp.”

Each person clenched their teeth and adjusted their breathing.

Since everyone was using an enormous amount of magic power, sweat had gathered on their foreheads, but their expressions looked less strained than expectant.

That was only natural, since they too were “Awakeners.”

It was only that the power they used differed from that of others; they were still human beings who enjoyed adventure and wished to grow stronger.

Regardless of sex, age, or status, everyone wore an excited expression, and then it happened. The swirling magic power was sucked into the giant’s body in an instant.

Then the creature, which had been giving off a faint glow, began to twitch and move its body, and as the membrane that had wrapped around it was absorbed at the same time as the movements of the giant, which was well over twenty meters tall, the giant swiftly revealed its form.

Its shape resembled an enlarged ogre, but after seeing the geometric patterns exposed all over its body and the sharp-looking bones beginning to protrude through its skin, I shouted,

“We are beginning suppression.”

The moment those words ended, curses unleashed by eight masters flew toward the giant.

While preparing their magic, they had checked one another’s magic patterns and languages and prepared their curses so that their spells would not overlap, and I admired their meticulousness, but at the same time I wondered whether that creature would really be able to withstand such overwhelming curses.

But then An Sang-ik shouted,

“It is an abnormal phenomenon! Be careful!”

At that moment, I could not help but frown at the countless presences being felt in every direction.

‘They are being generated this suddenly?’

This was a situation I had neither heard of nor seen before, so as I confirmed the rapidly increasing presences and the faint forms visible to the eye, I said to An Sang-ik,

“Could you buy us some time at the entrance?”

“…Understood. What do you intend to do?”

“As you can see, we will clean this up and shut the Gate.”

As he nodded and said he understood, Go Yu-jin spoke up.

“I will help too. Rather than doing something here, it would be better to block the entrance and hold it.”

“Understood. Then take all the 6th Circle master-craftsman-level personnel with you. Do not worry about this side.”

The two ran off after saying they understood. Was it because such overwhelmingly powerful forces were swirling here?

Contrary to the expectation that monsters would come toward us, the presences instead grew farther away as though fleeing.

‘So even they have defensive instincts when they sense a threat.’

But right now, it was time to focus on the giant before our eyes. Those miscellaneous creatures had grown frightened and were retreating, so that was actually fortunate, and from now on we only had to deal with a single enemy, so I observed how the curses were being applied.

Kuuwoooooooo!! -

The giant roared, but there was no one here weak enough to feel pressured by it, so everyone calmly observed its condition.

What was more, some even looked on in admiration as they watched the curses slowly seep into it.

As slight changes occurred throughout its body as though the curses had taken effect, the giant compressed both legs to the utmost and then sprang like an explosion, lightly leaping out of the pit.

“Impressive.”

It was only a brief word of admiration, and at the same time, as though she had been waiting for it, Baek Da-gyeong deployed a spell in the air.

“Darkness Prison!”

Black mist spread out and instantly coiled around the giant. As if waiting for that moment, Gong Baek-jin and Cheon Jong-un used Spider Web to reinforce and strengthen the Darkness Prison.

The sight of the giant’s entire body becoming wrapped in magic and hanging helplessly in the air was almost laughable, and then, as though they too had been waiting, Jo Jin-man and Jang Seong-hun began using Bone-type spells.

“Bone Spear!”

“Bone Needle!”

Bone Spear burrowed deeply into various parts of the floating creature’s body, creating severe wounds, and at the same time, Bone Needle pierced into its joints, restricting its movement.

‘So that was why they had Memorized them.’

It was an interesting method. They were clearly aiming to suppress it while keeping it alive. Their intention was plainly visible, and the giant, apparently in agony, began thrashing about and struggling to resist, but at that moment Han Sang-gil came over to me and asked,

“Shall we draw blood first, or collect samples first?”

“For now, before the contamination grows worse, samples and blood collection first, then additional samples, and after that blood collection after contamination seems best.”

“Yes, that would be right. Will you do it?”

“I will prepare for any contingency. Please handle it for me.”

“Understood. I shall do so.”

Han Sang-gil instantly began using the magic he had prepared.

The giant, restrained in the air, bled as blood running down its body gathered in one place under the effect of Psychokinesis, while pieces of flesh fell from various parts of its body and vanished as though being absorbed into sub-space.

‘It is pitiable enough to be almost sad.’

Since it was an individual different from the one that had appeared in Britain, it was possible that our giant monster was the weaker specimen, but on the other hand, just as there was a saying that a prepared mage was a disaster, the giant could not move at all and was being carved apart exactly as we wished.

Amid violent resistance and deafening screams, yet in reality with not the slightest tension in the air, I watched the giant being thoroughly torn apart, and thinking that there did not seem to be anything for me to do, I scattered my magic power and headed toward the place where the giant had been sleeping.

‘As expected, there is a core. But…. Its form is a little strange.’

I could feel the masters’ gazes as they watched me descend underground, but that did not last long, and once I had reached the deep underground, I used Light magic to examine the place where the giant had been sleeping.

‘It is a language I have never seen before. It does not seem to be spell-language. Is it the holy language used by the Chantras?’

This was not my area of expertise, so for the moment I began turning the language around me into images and storing them in Magic Stones.

Then I began examining the black sphere that seemed to be stuck fast to the core, along with the upper part of the core, when it happened.

In an instant, something shot out from the black sphere, aiming straight for me.

I used Blink, and, startled by the fact that I had nearly been caught, I looked at the thing as it retreated once more.

Then I looked up into the air and examined the giant’s form.

‘…Its overall shape resembles a kobold. Could it be…. that it caused a mutation by using it as a host?’

I did not know what sort of result would come out of the samples, but if something really was acting to induce mutations in the monsters inside the Gate, then I judged that it would be right to separate that black sphere from the core and examine it.

So I began to release magic power.

I maintained the magic power in a form that wrapped around the core, then swiftly shaped the pattern and formed a “Barrier.”

After that, I adjusted the magic power so it would compress, gradually shrinking the area.

‘Shall I see at what distance it reacts?’

I slowly stepped forward and approached the core, and when I had come to roughly ten paces away, something extended from the black sphere and struck the Barrier.

The impact seemed considerable, and the Barrier began cracking and looked ready to shatter, but after replenishing it with magic power and closing the distance further, I saw that the sphere was extending multiple black tendrils.

‘Should I reinforce the Barrier more and increase the magic power?’

At the same time, I increased the compression rate even further. It was as though I was pouring my strength into completely enveloping the black sphere and making it unable to move in the slightest.

Gradually, its resistance weakened, and the impacts striking the Barrier lessened.

When I had completely enveloped both the core and the black sphere, the black sphere stopped moving, and as I approached and examined it, looking over the traces upon it, I could not help but let out a short exclamation.

‘It is a holy language consisting of only a few characters I know. Did Chantra plot something?’

If not that, then the Cultists of Ruin?

Whichever group it was, I could tell that this was an incident involving religions that had become known after the Awakening.

So after pushing magic power into the inside of the Barrier, I began severing the connection between the black sphere and the core.

The stronger the force I applied, the more violently it resisted, but when I crushed it down with an amount of magic power close to ten full spell castings, the black sphere finally detached from the core, drew a circle through the air, and stopped emitting power, whereupon I first placed it into sub-space.

At that moment, the Gate shook violently. Then, with a cracking sound, fissures formed in the core, and it shattered as it was.

‘The Gate is going to collapse. Will it lead to a break, or will it simply disappear like this?’

That question rose in my mind, but since the giant still had not been dealt with, I slowly lifted my body into the air and watched the giant’s subjugation, then, after assessing the situation below and turning toward the masters, who appeared to have many questions, I shouted,

“Let’s finish this quickly and get out. We have secured the cause of the Red Gate, so once we take the giant too, all the real gains will be ours.”

“Hah, that is truly wonderful to hear. Come on, let’s finish it quickly!”

With Jeong Gil-sun’s shout, the masters instantly released a tremendous amount of magic power and began tearing the giant to pieces.