852

 [Chapter 213]

[Unbreakable Will (3)]

Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do.

Lee Do-jin and Silla Clan members were able to corner Samael after a fierce battle.

"Kek, cowardly bastards. Are you happy ganging up on one person?"

Samael was dying.

Samael, who collapsed leaning against the wall, seemed to have no strength left to stand up.

"Not one person, but one beast."

Lee Do-jin approached Samael.

Blue lightning crackled on the sword in his hand.

His hair was standing on end as if drawn by static electricity.

"Monster-like bastard... What exactly is your identity? Does it make sense for you to kill a 3rd rank monster that popped out of a disturbance alone? You're a chaos species disrupting humans' ecosystem...kuk...!!"

"You talk too much."

Lee Do-jin thrust his sword, Mistletoe, into Samael's chest.

Samael coughed up blood.

Then he shrugged his shoulders with the sword stuck in his chest.

"Yeah, this life was boring anyway, it wouldn't be bad to die like this. But what will you do?"

"..."

"When I die, that's when true chaos will begin! Hahaha!!"

"What are you saying?"

"My power is chaos. The moment I die, the mana in this world will be stimulated, causing large-scale disturbances in the area."

"..."

"The chaos I've created so far will feel like a drop in the bucket. Can you still kill me?"

"Pathetic words."

"Am I really lying? Or am I telling the truth? Go ahead, fall into confusion trying to figure it out!!"

Samael laughed loudly.

Lee Do-jin could no longer attack him.

If Samael's words were true, Namyangju could be engulfed in much greater damage than now.

☆

Pandora Clan Hall, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Hwang Jin-hee scattered her aura and drove away the pressure Armageddon was exerting on people.

Her posture with drawn sword showed not a hint of wavering.

"Kkulkkul, don't you think it's a bit harsh to suddenly point a sword at me when we're meeting after a long time? Even though there's affection..."

"I have no affection to give to evil people."

"Hehe, 'evil people'... Yes, you're really going to point your sword at me."

"Of course."

"That's very good."

"..."

"It means I can face a living legend. Fighting a worthy opponent makes my heart pound. It makes me feel young."

Armageddon chuckled.

His mouth split wide.

It was an expression as if welcoming the situation.

Hwang Jin-hee called to Eun-ha behind her without taking her eyes off him.

"Noh Eun-ha."

"Yes, -nim."

"I came alone in a hurry when I heard that guy appeared. Reinforcements from Donghae Clan will come soon too, so you rest now."

"But..."

"Entrusting your sword to emotions sometimes makes you unable to look at yourself. Do you think you can face that guy with such a mindset?"

"..."

"You've done well enough. So leave the rest to me. Hey, you players over there."

""""Yes!!""""

"Take that guy to a safe place and treat him."

Hearing Hwang Jin-hee's words.

Players who came to their senses quickly approached Eun-ha.

They supported Eun-ha and turned his body away from the battlefield.

Eun-ha, who was trying to remain on the battlefield, finally couldn't resist their hands and turned away.

It was then.

Hwang Jin-hee spoke again.

"Noh Eun-ha."

"Yes, -nim."

"This worked out well. I think I can show you what myth is."

"..."

"Only those with the same myth can face someone who has myth."

At that moment, the atmosphere changed.

The mana Hwang Jin-hee released began to dye the surrounding area.

Her aura that was fiercely fighting Armageddon's momentum dominated the area.

"Hooh, even though your body isn't in good shape, you're going to manifest myth prepared for extinction?"

"Don't pretend to be surprised. You must have noticed long ago. My appearance here means I intend to stop you even by manifesting myth."

"That's true. It would be impossible to face me without manifesting myth."

"That's right. Though I don't want to admit it, you are 'strong'."

"It feels good to be acknowledged by the . But Jin-hee, will you be alright? By lowering yourself, you're lowering the rank of your soul. Are you confident you can defeat me like that?"

"It's unpleasant to hear advice from you. Don't worry, I'll cut down beings 'stronger' than me as I've always done."

"Oh my, that's right. I forgot the reason you're called ."

Armageddon chuckled as if something was so amusing.

Hwang Jin-hee glared at him and moved the mana dominating the area.

Abundant energy swirled.

Eun-ha and the players couldn't take their eyes off that sight.

"Watch carefully. Myth is implementing my ideology in the world."

Wind blows.

The clothes Hwang Jin-hee is wearing flutter in the wind.

Before they knew it, the shape and color of the uniform she was wearing had changed.

The white uniform is dyed black.

Then the space changes.

A desolate plain appears.

Hwang Jin-hee stood there pointing her sword at him.

I am a sword that punishes evil.

All my life, I have not a single shameful point looking up at the sky.

Her voice echoes in the world.

The world resonates.

Eun-ha could realize that the mana dissolved in the atmosphere was being organized centered on her.

People in this space cannot use atmospheric mana unless her permission is given.

They can only use internal mana.

Conversely, she can freely use not only internal mana, but atmospheric mana as if it's her own.

Myth Manifestation

End of Evil

The wind blows again.

The long uniform hem flutters.

Thousands of swords appear around her.

"Today, you too will become one of the swords forming my myth."

"It's been a while since I've seen these swords. This brings back old memories...!!"

The thousands of swords disappear.

Sword particles transformed into particles flutter.

The sword particles, as if having will, rushed at Armageddon accompanied by fierce wind.

"Kuk...!!"

Armageddon waves his hand.

Black mana rises from the ground to protect him.

"It's useless. You should know."

"...!!"

"My myth is a myth that punishes evil. You who are evil cannot block my sword."

The barrier is torn to shreds.

Dismay settled on his face.

The sword particles pierced his body.

Armageddon's body with holes all over staggered greatly.

"Go, Noh Eun-ha. Don't just watch."

"..."

"This is myth. I hope you too will find a truth for yourself that defines a world."

"...I've learned a lot. Thank you."

Overwhelming strength.

Eun-ha bowed his head to Hwang Jin-hee who dominated the providence of this world.

He decided to leave.

It would be quite a burden for her to fight while protecting them.

He had to lessen the burden.

"Don't pretend to be weak. I know you're not someone who would fall to this."

"Kkulkkul, amazing. Experiencing it directly, I understand why those guys begged for their lives and died."

Meanwhile, Hwang Jin-hee found Armageddon who appeared elsewhere.

The moment he took a critical hit, he immediately created a doppelganger and fled.

"I won't let you escape. Now that I know your power interferes with space, I can't let you go like this."

"Really? You shouldn't be able to do anything to subspace made with my mana..."

"That's what myth can do."

Hwang Jin-hee smirked.

She spoke with power.

There is nothing in the world that cannot be cut.

Therefore, I cut subspace.

──!!

Hwang Jin-hee's declaration touches providence.

The subspace Armageddon created to avoid her attack rippled greatly.

It splits as if cut by a sword.

The split subspace loses coordinates and crumbles to pieces.

"Can you even cut concepts now? You've become much stronger too."

"While you were researching taboos that touch souls, I continued traveling the country."

"Kkulkkul, if you obtain complete divinity, you could probably cut a person's life with just a word."

Even though subspace was neutralized.

Armageddon wasn't flustered.

He used his internal mana to block her sword.

But her sword cut through magic and cut Armageddon.

"Ugh..."

"This must be a world with bad compatibility for you as a caster."

"Yes, that's right. A world that cuts both physical force and magic, there's no world more incompatible with me."

Armageddon's ear falls off.

Blue blood splattered down.

The sword particles finely crushed the ear that fell to the ground.

He smiled even seeing that sight.

The black sunglasses rise up.

He raised the corners of his mouth.

"But Jin-hee."

"..."

"You're not forgetting that I haven't manifested myth, are you?"

Black mana fluctuates.

Mana that eliminated the incoming sword particles writhes like tentacles.

Soon, the space touched by the tentacles was slowly being dyed black.

"I withstood your myth. So now it's time to see if you can withstand my myth."

"..."

"Go ahead, try to withstand it."

Just as Hwang Jin-hee did earlier.

Armageddon's momentum spreads rapidly.

Part of her world is cut off.

The cut-off world is attributed to him.

───!!

The world shakes greatly.

Hwang Jin-hee concentrated to maintain her world.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, another world was trying to be born.

Tap

Armageddon tapped his staff.

The sound of hitting the ground echoed loudly.

I am a being who has overcome death.

I who have overcome mortal fate will now become an eternal being.

"...!?"

"While you walked the path of your myth, I created a new myth."

"How on earth..."

"A lot has happened in the meantime. I've finally come this far. Seeing your surprised face makes me feel good. You seem greatly flustered by an unexpected myth."

Armageddon's ear grows back.

Black mana covers his body.

The fedora disappears becoming mana.

As he reaches out his hand, wavering mana becomes a fedora.

He who put on the new fedora straightens his bent back, taking on the appearance of his prime.

The blood-stained suit disappears.

A new suit takes its place.

The crude staff is also replaced anew.

Myth Manifestation

Eternal Immortality

Armageddon's world was pitch black.

There was nothing else.

No, when he tapped his staff─

"─Existing myths were limited to summoning killed monsters and people. But now I can."

Blue forms appeared.

Forms of monsters.

Forms of people.

Monsters that took form fully appeared behind him.

"I can now summon anything that has died."

3rd rank monsters roar.

Players who experienced the era of destruction walk out in their prime form.

Among them─

─Myth Manifestation

Atlas

The leader of the 1st generation Twelve Seats.

Living legend.

Moon Jun was there too.

"Now, can you cut even righteous heroes with a myth that cuts evil?"

☆

Sungkyunkwan University Station, Suwon City, Gyeonggi-do.

Beelzebub's influence far exceeded the players' expectations.

She could infect even people far away with monsters.

As a result, players who initially overwhelmed her were ambushed by monsters outside their detection range.

Even Pandora Clan members lost 3 people while fighting.

"What's the point of evacuating people? Did you think I made no preparations to face you? Suwon City is practically all my domain. Flies are hiding everywhere ready to make my slaves at any time."

Beelzebub laughed gleefully.

She swung her whip to face Ryu Yeon-hwa who approached from behind.

Han Mae-ryu Ultimate

North Wind...!

"That won't do. Did you think I'd let you activate magic as you please? Sorry, but I'm not a third-rate villain who'll wait for magic to be completed."

"Kuk..."

Beelzebub broke through the magic far too easily.

The monsters she controlled excelled at detecting mana.

On top of that, they were extremely fast.

When they flew seriously, hardly anyone could keep up.

At best, only Ryu Yeon-hwa, Mok Min-ho, Han Chang-jin, and Jin Pa-rang could.

Thousand Mile Net

Therefore, they had to lure the monsters' gaze to lower their speed.

Han Chang-jin spread detection magic again to feel the monsters' mana.

He tried to interfere with advanced control techniques.

It was then─

"─It's good to spread a spider web, but do you think it'll work? Flies and mosquitoes are faster than you think. They nimbly avoid human touch."

Beelzebub scattered her mana.

Her mana jams.

At the same time, she absorbed mana dissolved in the atmosphere.

Jamming and absorption.

She excelled at absorbing mana.

"If I absorb 's mana... I can control slaves like this too."

""""...!!""""

Eventually, Beelzebub absorbed the cold air Ryu Yeon-hwa released.

When she injected that mana into monsters, the monsters' rank increased.

A fly that transformed into a humanoid monster demonstrated the power to handle cold air.

"─Even if I'm being pushed back by you, don't let your guard down, okay? I─"

Beelzebub giggled while tracing her red lips.

Her gaze turned to the rear.

There, Bae Su-bin was casting a large-scale magic.

"─Can do things like this too. Did you really think you completely blocked the infection in those corpses lying there?"

Bae Su-bin flinched.

She turned around.

Corpses of players who died during battle were piled up.

They were corpses whose infection Ilya and other supporters had blocked in advance.

Among them were mixed corpses of Pandora Clan members.

Wriggle wriggle

Then the pile of corpses wriggled.

The arm of a deceased Pandora Clan member moved on its own.

The body of a clan member that rolled down from the corpse pile swelled rapidly.

──!!

The clan member's stomach burst.

Something used the explosion as propulsion and flew towards her.

Bae Su-bin hurriedly spread a barrier.

Hiss!

Huge maggots.

Maggots as big as human heads melted the barrier.

Finally, one made a hole in the barrier.

It infiltrated inside the barrier.

Crunch!!

"Bae Su-bin!!"

By the time Kaede shouted, it was already too late.

The maggot bit Bae Su-bin's shoulder.

Bae Su-bin hurriedly killed it, but her clothes were torn and there was a large wound on her skin.

"Kuk...!!"

Bae Su-bin quickly canceled her magic.

As the large-scale magic was nullified, its backlash hit her directly.

The mana circuits tangle.

Furthermore, the virus that infiltrated her body twists the mana circuits.

Bae Su-bin felt indescribable pain.

"Ahaha!! Serves you right! You've been the most annoying since earlier! For some reason, I really wanted to make you my slave!? I didn't like how prickly you were!!"

 So become my slave.

Beelzebub cackled.

"Obey the Queen's! Orders!!"

The virus spread through Bae Su-bin's body.

Her consciousness grew hazy.

"Su-bin!!"

Kaede shouted and rushed over.

But before she could reach Bae Su-bin, countless flies swarmed around her.

"Kyaa!!"

The flies bit into Kaede's skin.

Her movements slowed.

"Hehehe, two for the price of one! How lovely!"

Beelzebub clapped her hands in delight.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating.

"Everyone, retreat! We can't handle this anymore!"

Han Chang-jin shouted, realizing the gravity of the situation.

The remaining Pandora Clan members started to fall back.

But Beelzebub wasn't about to let them escape so easily.

"Where do you think you're going? The fun's just starting!"

She snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the retreating players erupted.

Countless maggots and flies burst forth, engulfing them.

"No! Stop this!"

Ryu Yeon-hwa desperately tried to freeze the swarms, but there were too many.

For every one she froze, ten more took its place.

Jin Pa-rang unleashed fierce winds to blow away the insects, but they just kept coming.

"It's useless! You're all going to become my lovely slaves!"

Beelzebub's laughter echoed across the battlefield.

One by one, the Pandora Clan members fell.

Some were overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Others succumbed to the virus spreading through their bodies.

In mere minutes, over half of them had fallen.

"This can't be happening..."

Mok Min-ho stared in horror at his fallen comrades.

Many of them were already starting to transform, their bodies twisting and changing.

"We have to get out of here! Now!"

Han Chang-jin grabbed Mok Min-ho's arm, snapping him out of his daze.

The few remaining members made a desperate dash for safety.

But Beelzebub wasn't done yet.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not letting a single one of you escape!"

She raised her arms dramatically.

The air itself seemed to vibrate with her power.

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

A massive swarm of insects, larger than any they'd seen before, blotted out the sun.

It descended upon them like a tidal wave of chitinous bodies and buzzing wings.

"This is the end! Become one with my swarm!"

As the massive swarm engulfed them, the last thing the Pandora Clan members heard was Beelzebub's triumphant laughter.

In the span of mere minutes, one of the strongest clans had been utterly defeated.

☆

Back at the Pandora Clan Hall, the situation was grim.

Armageddon and Hwang Jin-hee's clash of myths had reduced much of the surrounding area to rubble.

Eun-ha, still weakened from his earlier battle, could only watch helplessly as the two titans battled.

Hwang Jin-hee's sword flashed, cutting through reality itself.

But Armageddon's newly manifested myth seemed to negate even her strikes.

"Do you see now, Jin-hee? This is the power of true immortality!"

Armageddon's laughter boomed across the battlefield.

The resurrected heroes and monsters he had summoned clashed with Hwang Jin-hee's own manifestations.

It was a battle on a scale Eun-ha had never witnessed before.

"This... this is the power of fully realized myths?"

He stared in awe and terror at the destruction being wrought.

Entire city blocks were reshaped or erased in instants.

The very laws of reality seemed to bend and break around the two combatants.

"Eun-ha! You need to get out of here!"

Kim Min-ji's voice snapped him back to reality.

She and a few other survivors were trying to evacuate the area.

"But -nim..."

"There's nothing we can do here! We have to regroup and come up with a new plan!"

Eun-ha knew she was right, but it pained him to leave.

As they retreated, he took one last look at the battle.

Hwang Jin-hee was still fighting fiercely, but even he could see she was being pushed back.

Armageddon's laughter echoed in his ears as they fled.

"Run, little humans! Run and despair! For this is merely the beginning of your end!"

The Pandora Clan Hall, once a symbol of hope and strength, crumbled behind them.

As they escaped into the war-torn streets of Seoul, Eun-ha's mind raced.

How could they possibly hope to defeat an enemy of this level?

What would become of the world if Armageddon and the other Mines succeeded?

And most pressingly – what had become of his other clan members fighting across the city?

With a heavy heart, Eun-ha realized that this might truly be humanity's darkest hour.