641
[Chapter 168]
[Still, The Night Passes (4)]
Do Min-guk, self-proclaimed Dominic.
Born with dark skin, he had received discriminatory treatment since childhood.
Naturally, because he lived such a life, he harbored hostility towards Koreans.
He is a proud American.
He had lived until now brainwashing himself like that.
"Section 5 has been breached! Hurry and block it!"
"Shit! I'll go block it, you guys keep blocking here!"
But what about now?
As Gangbuk faces the crisis of destruction.
Now he was fighting alongside the Koreans he so despised.
Regardless of race, country, ethnicity, or religion.
People were joining forces to protect the land where they grew up.
He never imagined he would be fighting back-to-back with Koreans, roaming the heart of Itaewon.
"Mr. Dominic! We've blocked here! Please take care of the Bogwang-ro direction!" "We'll provide covering fire! We still have enough magazines!"
In the face of the crisis of destruction, people all united.
Discrimination didn't exist.
Dominic mixed with Koreans and subjugated the monsters surging from below.
No, he too was Korean.
Mingling with them, he finally accepted the fact that he was also Korean and manifested his internal mana.
As his wavering heart found conviction, his magic became stronger.
"─Do Min-guk." "Father!"
"I'll protect here. Those guys are not opponents you can handle."
"You don't know until you try! I'll help too! And I'm not Do Min-guk but Domini..."
"You're still saying that?"
"Why did you give me such an old-fashioned name to embarrass me?"
"Be quiet. If you're going to help, never stray far from me."
"Hmph! I'll support you, so Father, fight to your heart's content!"
There was no one who didn't fight.
Thanks to people fighting with all their might, they were able to successfully defend Itaewon.
But it was just the beginning.
More monsters were swarming in.
Facing those monsters, Dominic and David Kim didn't back down.
Pabapat!!
David Kim rushed forward.
As he swung his great sword, monsters in the area scattered into pieces.
Dominic followed behind him, continuously pulling the trigger.
"The
"Drive the monsters further inside to positions easier to shoot!!"
A battle that seemed like it would never end.
Nevertheless, people shouted as they struggled desperately.
By now, the tide of battle seemed to be turning in their favor.
They believed without doubt.
Because all frontlines in Itaewon visibly improved after the
But it didn't take long for them to realize that was only momentary.
─Whiiiiieeeeaaoooo
""""...."""
A monster appearing in the skies over Itaewon.
A whale of immeasurable size.
People were completely overwhelmed by its presence.
"That, that..."
How can we defeat that.
They thought almost simultaneously.
It's absolutely unbeatable.
They despaired in the face of cruel reality and couldn't move.
"─Do Min-guk." "Ah, Father... That's..." "Do Min-guk, pull yourself together."
"..."
"I'll block that guy. So you take the people here and flee to Noksapyeong, no, even further up. You'll have to cross Namsan. Those guys will surge up like a flood the moment a path opens."
"Father, what are you saying? Are you saying you'll fight alone now..."
"And you, can you fight?"
"..."
"I can see your legs shaking. I'll probably only be able to block it at best. So while I buy time, I'm telling you to lead this force."
"Father, how can I lead people in your place!"
"If you can't, rely on the Pandora Clan Lord. He... would probably lead you."
Though blood wasn't connected.
Dominic and David Kim conversed looking up at the calamity.
David Kim took a stance.
Dominic stood rooted to the spot as if his feet were glued to the ground.
"Go quickly!"
"..."
David Kim shouted.
Dominic gritted his teeth.
He belatedly tried to turn his body.
That's when it happened.
""""─...!!""""
People were astonished.
The whale had spread a magic formation in the sky encompassing all of Itaewon.
Dozens of magic formations.
The moment they witnessed that, people realized there was nowhere to flee.
"Damn..."
"Damn it..."
David Kim groaned.
Dominic muttered blankly.
This was the end.
No matter how skilled David Kim was, there was no way he could block magic targeting all of Itaewon.
The magic formation emitted light.
Dominic and others could only let go of their will to live as they watched the magic formation brightly illuminating the night sky.
Right then─
─Blast Cross
In just an instant.
Flames that surged up from the ground.
The flames spread in a cross shape and attacked the whale.
─Whiiieeeaoo....
It took a direct hit to its underbelly.
The magic formation floating in the night sky slowly disappeared.
The creature noticeably staggered.
""""...."""
At that sight,
People were at a loss for words.
Who on earth could have made that monster stagger?
The identity was soon revealed.
Because telepathy was transmitted.
[Pandora Clan telepathist Ariel! Relaying Clan Lord Noh Eun-ha's words to all people in Itaewon! Your force is now under Pandora Clan's command to defend Itaewon! This was Ariel! It's okay now, everyone!]
With a whoosh,
Players appeared from below.
Players wearing navy blue uniforms approached the frontline where Dominic was and assessed the situation.
"Ah..."
Pandora Clan.
A clan made by kids who just graduated from the academy to play house.
Until then, that's what Dominic had thought, but seeing the clan members, he had to change his mind.
Each one was exuding an extraordinary aura.
Above all─
"─Scared? If you have time to be scared, go to the front right now and lure some monsters." "Wow, that's seriously cool."
"You've completely lost it. Hey, Do Min-guk. Snap out of it already." "...I'm Dominic. Clan Lord."
Pandora Clan Lord Noh Eun-ha.
As he appeared wearing a cloak of flames, everyone's gazes focused on him.
There was no doubt.
He was the one who had attacked that whale.
He looked at Dominic and burst out laughing.
☆
Fortunately, it wasn't too late.
The Itaewon force was almost completely wiped out.
Eun-ha could feel relieved after meeting David Kim.
But why is this guy looking at me with sparkling eyes?
Then Eun-ha tilted his head.
When he tried to talk with David Kim, Dominic wouldn't back down and kept staring at him.
"...Will you go away?"
"Yes! As it's the Clan Lord's order, I'll follow it! Clan member Dominic! I'll withdraw immediately!"
"..."
What's really wrong with him.
Eun-ha looked at the retreating Dominic with a blank face.
David Kim seemed to know why he was acting that way.
He smiled slightly.
"It seems Min-guk has found a new person to admire."
"You mean me? No way."
"There's nothing impossible about it. Anyone who saw you attack that monster just now would be like that. Look."
"..."
David Kim pointed behind.
Eun-ha felt people's gazes.
They were looking at him.
"It's thanks to you. If you hadn't come, we would all be dead. Thank you. For coming like this." "...I promised. As much as the Itaewon force comes under me, I'll protect you too." "I didn't think that protection would be like this though. Then I'll hand over command authority to you now." "No, it's fine."
The clan members were busy moving around and engaging in battle with monsters.
Having become accustomed to real combat on the way to Itaewon, they were skillfully fighting using the terrain.
In this situation, Eun-ha declined to take command authority.
"Only you know the geography and composition of personnel here well. So we'll fight on our own, please command those people to fight."
"...Alright. Then we'll do that."
After finishing the conversation with David Kim,
Eun-ha turned around.
─.....
Ye-gyeong, who had received an unexpected attack.
The creature with a dark, murky color like the deep sea, its gaze could be felt looking at him.
An overwhelming presence.
Nevertheless, Eun-ha raised his head proudly without being intimidated.
"Ariel."
"Cutie here!"
"Tell the clan members. That guy will use magic called Jamming to interfere with our magic activation and cause mana runaway." "Okay, got it! Is that all?"
"Please relay one more thing. Tell them not to forget to use the Resistance artifact to counter the Jamming."
Eun-ha calmly recited.
Ariel immediately relayed to the clan members through telepathy.
I never thought we'd face Ye-gyeong from the start....
But if we take it down, the war situation won't worsen anymore.
Eun-ha manifested his internal mana.
He didn't know if they could defeat Ye-gyeong with the personnel here.
But he couldn't not fight, and Eun-ha decided to confront it.
Right then,
"─The protective magic is disappearing!"
""""...!!""""
Someone suddenly shouted that.
People were startled.
Only then did Eun-ha realize a problem had occurred upon hearing that voice.
"..."
The protective magic covering the sky.
The color of the protective magic was gradually becoming transparent and dissolving into the atmosphere.
The protective magic was disappearing.
"Why..."
Why, why on earth.
Eun-ha couldn't help but say those words.
The protective magic disappearing meant something abnormal had happened to
But Eun-ha, who remembered his previous life, knew there was a reason for that.
Well, at that time
─I thought he died fighting Ye-gyeong?
Why on earth did this suddenly happen?
So Eun-ha had been inwardly relieved thinking he had prevented
But Ye-gyeong was right here, yet something abnormal had happened to
Eun-ha couldn't help but be flustered by the situation different from his memories.
─Whiiieeeaaaooo
At that moment, Ye-gyeong moved.
The creature that had been staring at Eun-ha suddenly changed direction.
Damn, is it running away?
Eun-ha realized Ye-gyeong's intention.
In his previous life too, Ye-gyeong didn't stay confined to specific areas, but roamed around Gangbuk turning areas into wastelands.
With the protective magic gone, Ye-gyeong could now freely fly through the skies of Gangbuk without hindrance.
It rose high into the sky and began concealing its presence.
The huge presence disappeared.
"That direction is probably... towards Hannam-dong."
He couldn't let it escape like this.
Its technique of concealing its presence was quite troublesome.
He had to somehow grasp it.
Eun-ha predicted its course based on the direction Ye-gyeong turned.
Platinum Cross
He fired magic towards the sky.
The night sky was split in half for an instant.
Ye-gyeong could be seen moving away.
It flew away intact even after being hit by Platinum Cross.
It didn't properly reach because of the distance.
It's definitely the Hannam-dong direction.
But that was fine.
He had gained something by figuring out the direction it was heading.
Familiar Transformation
Phoenix Wings
He had business in Hannam-dong anyway.
It worked out well in a situation where he had to prevent it from destroying Yongsan-gu.
With a momentary sardonic smile on his face, Eun-ha unfurled the cloak of flames on his shoulders.
The cloak that left his hands quickly transformed into wings of flame that sprouted on Eun-ha's back.
""""...."""
People blankly looked up at him as he soared into the sky.
Eun-ha flapped his wings of flame and searched for the pink-haired fish among the people.
"Ariel, tell the clan members. I'll chase after that guy like this, so you stay here and block the monsters."
"How can you go alone!"
"I'll just go and check it. There's a clan on that side too, so I can get help. So please."
"Who will command!? Should we listen to Mr. David Kim!?"
"I'll hand over party command authority to Mok Min-ho while I'm gone. He said he wanted to lead a party before, so this works out well."
Mok Min-ho should be able to do well.
If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have thought to act independently like this.
Eun-ha said that to Ariel, then immediately moved his wings in the direction the creature had disappeared.
☆
Jung-gu, Seoul.
Rooftop of the Mana Management Organization headquarters.
The large old man was holding up both arms as if supporting the sky.
"..."
Already several hours.
Even though his body was screaming, the old man didn't try to lower his arms.
Because the moment he lowered these arms, the protective magic guarding Gangbuk would collapse.
Called a living myth, he who once united monarchs in the destroyed world and rebuilt the world, tried to protect the world he had cultivated.
Kugugugu
How much longer could he hold out?
Even Moon Jun didn't know that.
As a result of embodying mythology, his collapsing body once again manifested mythology after a long time.
Because of that, his body was screaming.
He was dying.
Having called forth his prime state and transcended that realm by far, he could clearly feel his physical body collapsing.
Nevertheless, he endured.
Because if he couldn't support this world, the world would collapse.
Absolutely, he couldn't let that happen.
The world that had finally risen from destruction.
Moon Jun only wished for this world not to be destroyed again.
So if this life could be sacrificed, that was what he desired.
At that moment─
──!
With a thud,
A blade pierced his heart.
Moon Jun couldn't help but doubt his eyes seeing the blood-stained blade protruding from his chest.
Who on earth....
There was no pain.
But as his heart was pierced, he could feel the mythology he had embodied rapidly collapsing.
At the same time, he was dying too.
He painfully turned his head, still in the posture of raising both hands.
"─Farewell."
That day,