Chapter 178: Episode 178

“Whoa, this thing is hard to make out.”

“Tell me about it.”

They had to estimate Immortal’s position by the dust cloud it kicked up from below. Everyone gripped their weapons, their faces tense.

’Chzzt.’

“This is Lee Jaehyun, rank-4. I’m taking temporary command.”

A veteran hunter from Garam spoke into his radio.

“Hunters with long-range attacks, get ready. On my signal, we’ll pour all our firepower at once to neutralize the disaster. Melee hunters, please stand by a little further back.”

“K-32, roger.”

“A-9, confirmed.”

“Alright, get ready.”

Jin Bora took out an explosive potion, and Eunsol prepared her turrets and missile batteries. From the Fourth Floor Team, Na Daeyong, Kim Sarang, and Cha Doyeon prepared their long-range magic.

Soon, the dust cloud was right in front of them, and the Immortal, with the gate embedded in its chest, revealed itself.

“Now!”

The hunters’ attacks were unleashed all at once on the single disaster. The Immortal’s body was rocked by explosions, struck, electrocuted, and torn apart. The hits had definitely landed.

However.

“I-it’s fine?”

Its speed had only slowed slightly; Immortal continued to break through.

“Firepower team, fall back! Close-combat hunters, engage!”

“Let’s go!”

“Block it with your bodies if you have to!”

The hunters who had been waiting around the guardrails all activated their mana and leaped forward. As various forms of hunting devices crashed into it, Immortal’s body momentarily swayed. But it was only a sway; it endured the hunters’ attacks and finally broke through the encirclement.

“No! The city is behind it!”

Screams of despair erupted.

Just then, Seo Shimhee, transformed into Andras, single-handedly grabbed Immortal’s leg. Her muscles bulged as if they would burst, trying to stop it, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Long tracks were carved into the ground as she was dragged along.

In the end, Andras was kicked by Immortal’s foot and sent flying. The muscle and flesh disappeared, revealing the unconscious body of Seo Shimhee. Jeong Seojin darted out like lightning to catch her.

’SHIIIIING!’

This time, Eunsol’s iron golem drew its sword blade and left a long gash on Immortal’s body. Following that, a hunter’s arm stretched out like a rubber band and wrapped around the monster’s leg. But the monster kicked away the iron golem, swatted away the binding-type hunter with its hand, and ran toward Changwon City.

In that moment, everyone had the same thought.

’We’re screwed.’

“What are you all staring at?! Go after it!”

The hunters scrambled to give chase. Some got into helicopters and vehicles. Na Daeyong’s face was grimly set as he focused mana into his legs and sprinted.

’Master stopped something like that all by himself?’

He thought it was a level he could one day reach. He had learned second-circle elemental magic and was brimming with confidence. But the distance between him and Yusin was vast.

’I’m still far! So far behind!’

His blood boiling, Na Daeyong exploded the mana in his legs and ran.

Meanwhile, Jeong Seojin had placed Seo Shimhee in a safe place and was now moving in a military vehicle he had hitched a ride on. He activated his earpiece and spoke.

“Ea, do you read me?”

“Loud and clear.”

Ea was acting as a command center exclusively for the Magic Tower members, providing backup for everyone.

“Something’s strange. The Association’s briefing definitely said it was a rank-5 or 6 Disaster. But it is so strong that even rank-4 hunters can’t do anything.”

A moment later, her reply came.

“I am monitoring the situations at the other gates as well, and it appears the Immortal at the Miryang Gate is a particularly strong case. A report just came in that one of the defense lines at the Hongcheon Gate and in Seoul has also been breached. In this case, the difficulty is estimated to be at least that of a rank-7 Disaster or higher.”

Jeong Seojin quickly organized his thoughts. Three of the fourteen disasters were high-difficulty. Those three were presumed to be in Seoul, Miryang, and Hongcheon.

“…So that’s why the Tower Master had to use fifth-order magic. I’m heading to the front.”

“Understood. Proceed.”

Before long, the Immortal had reached downtown Changwon. The mere act of that colossal creature running through the city caused numerous buildings to collapse. People driving on the congested roads screamed and jumped out of their cars. The hunters only grew more desperate.

“This is B-7! The Immortal is running toward Sangnam-dong, Changwon’s central downtown area! There are still a lot of people who couldn’t get out over there!”

“Right below Sangnam-dong is the industrial complex. We have to stop it no matter what!”

“T-2 team joining! Engaging the Immortal!”

“T-3 team joining! Engaging!”

“Use any means necessary, just hang on! Act like pros!”

The one silver lining was that the hunters from the Miryang Gate had scattered throughout Changwon. The hunters who had entered the city center first were buying time. But the situation was anything but optimistic. Less than an hour had passed since the emergency evacuation order was issued for Changwon, and many people were still trapped in the city.

“What the hell kind of disaster is this! There are too many variables!”

“You think a disaster is gonna say, ‘Hey humans, I plan to descend here on this day, at this time, this minute, this second, so please be on standby’? Shut up and block it!”

A mana helicopter hovered in the middle of the city, and six hunters with descent devices came down.

“This is T-4! We see the Immortal running ahead. We’ll stop it.”

Lee Jaehyun, the rank-4 hunter from Garam, finished his transmission and looked forward. The transparent giant was striding through the streets, and the hunters who had arrived earlier were swinging their weapons or pouring on long-range firepower.

’No matter how much they hit it, it only slows down for a moment. They can’t stop it.’

What was certain was that the Archmage had kept the Immortal from moving for several dozen minutes by himself. The information that a major blow could hold the Immortal for at least a few minutes was correct. He turned his head.

“You ready, rookie?”

“Yes!”

Next to him was Chu Hyungseok, the leader of X-1 Team. When Yusin had removed the Fourth Floor Team from the assault team, the other X-1 members had gladly taken the open spot. But Chu Hyungseok was different.

’I will remain at the gate.’

’Shameless bastards. Just because the magician team backed out, you’re going to snatch their spot? That’s the same as admitting we’re beneath them.’ When the results of the certified rank-5 exam came out, the fact that two members of the magician team were ranked above him had made him grind his teeth, unable to sleep for days. He would never surpass them through ordinary means. He needed overwhelming experience that others didn’t have.

“The Disaster is here! Fire everything!” Lee Jaehyun shouted.

All the attacks fired by the hunters exploded on the transparent giant’s body, but it didn’t even flinch.

’Now!’

As the Immortal entered his range, Chu Hyungseok’s eyes lit up, and he swung his arm. A chunk of road and concrete was torn from the ground, connected to his chains. Four massive clumps of earth, weighing tons, struck the Immortal squarely in the chest.

’BOOOOOOM!’

The Immortal staggered back from the impact.

“Oh!”

“Nice one, rookie!”

A thrill spread across Chu Hyungseok’s face at the shower of praise. ’I stopped the Immortal that even the seniors couldn’t! I, Chu Hyungseok, did it!’

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

The sharp shout snapped Chu Hyungseok back to his senses.

’WHOOOOSH!’

The Immortal’s fist was already right in front of his face. He needed to move, but his legs wouldn’t budge from fear.

<Overload>

<Lightning Shock>

For a moment, Chu Hyungseok thought the world had turned completely white in a flash of his life. A torrent of electricity slammed into the Immortal’s body. The arm that had been aimed at him was thrown back. No, to be precise…

’THUD!’

The Immortal toppled backward, landing hard on its rear.

“Woooah!” the hunters cheered.

And the man kneeling beside him, panting for breath, was the very person who haunted his dreams.

’Na Daeyong!’

As the Immortal tried to get up again, other hunters who had arrived as support swarmed in, unleashing an all-out offensive. The Immortal swayed once more before collapsing face-first onto the pavement.

“This is a rare chance!”

“Don’t save your mana, pour it all on!”

The order for an all-out attack was given, but Chu Hyungseok was looking at Na Daeyong, not the disaster. ’What the hell are you…?!’

And Na Daeyong wasn’t looking at him. His face, as he panted heavily, was full of frustration. What was he frustrated about? A rookie who hadn’t even been rank-5 for a year had stopped the Immortal; shouldn’t he be proud?

The moment he thought that, Chu Hyungseok realized. Na Daeyong had a goal, too. He must have been measuring himself against someone at a level far, far higher than his own. That was why he didn’t even have him in his sights. The thought made blood rush to his head.

“Na Daeyooooong!”

The agitated Chu Hyungseok was about to approach Na Daeyong when a firm hand grabbed him by the collar. Unable to resist, Chu Hyungseok was dragged backward and slammed against a wall.

’SMACK!’

His head snapped to the side. He could taste blood in his nose and mouth.

“You fucking idiot!” Lee Jaehyun spat venomously. “Snap out of it! You want to die for nothing?”

“N-no, sir!”

“You useless screw-up! Just because the brass pampers you, you think this is some kind of game? Don’t you dare show your face in front of me again. I don’t give a damn if you’re a ’promising rookie’—I’ll knock all your teeth out.”

Lee Jaehyun roughly shoved Chu Hyungseok to the ground and returned to the field.

“Hah…”

It hurt. Chu Hyungseok squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. Where did it all go wrong?

“This is U-1! The Immortal is getting up again!” A message came through his earpiece.

“What’s the evacuation status?” Jaehyun asked.

“It’s a mess! People are just screaming and scattering, there’s no control at all!”

“Hold on to its coattails if you have to, just stop it! The assault team will clear the dungeon soon!” Lee Jaehyun, still on the radio, gritted his teeth and looked at Na Daeyong, who was collapsed on the ground. “Hey, you! Can you use that technique again?”

“Sorry. It’s a technique that wrings out all my mana at once…”

’Well, it’s not an attack an ordinary rank-5 could pull off,’ Lee Jaehyun thought. He told Na Daeyong he did well and then informed the other teams of their location.

“It’s spitting out monsters again!”

Low-rank monsters began to pour out of the Immortal’s body once more. Whether it was the Immortal or the monsters, either one reaching the civilians would be fatal. The firepower that had been focused on the Immortal was now dispersed, and in that gap, the Immortal broke through the encirclement again and ran.

’Thud! Thud! Thud!’

Every time the giant ran, civilians and hunters alike had to scramble desperately to avoid being trampled to death. The occasional swing of its arm sent several buildings flying.

“Waaah! Waaah! Mommy!”

A child who had been separated from his parents was crying. The Immortal, which had been on a rampage destroying buildings, saw the loudly crying child and reached out its arm.

Cha Doyeon appeared like the wind, grabbed the child, and rolled on the ground. Fortunately, the nearby hunters caught up immediately and drew the Immortal’s attention by unleashing their attacks.

Panting, Jo Yonghee appeared from an alley, dripping green sweat and dragging two medium-sized monsters that had been reduced to a pulp by his poison. From the opposite direction, Kim Sarang, who had just strangled a monster with water magic, appeared and shouted, “We’ll hold them off! You take the child and evacuate!”

“Okay! Thanks!”

The two joined the field, and Cha Doyeon checked the child’s condition. “Are you okay?”

The child burst into tears in her arms.

“Shh! I’ll take you to your mom.”

As Cha Doyeon was walking with the child in her arms, a plant-type monster leaped out from an alley. Before she could react, the monster shot seeds from its mouth like bullets. Cha Doyeon hugged the child and turned her back.

She waited for the pain, but no pain came. When she opened her eyes and turned around, she saw Na Daeyong’s broad back. He had somehow gotten in the way, his arms spread wide. A hole was torn in his side, and blood was pouring out.

“Don’t you dare touch…” Na Daeyong’s eyes reddened as he extended his arm. “…my teammate!”

’CRACKLE!’

A bolt of lightning erupted from his arm and destroyed the monster. After using the spell, Na Daeyong collapsed from exhaustion.

“Captain! Are you okay?” Cha Doyeon urgently checked the fallen Na Daeyong’s wound. The bleeding was severe. She quickly took out a red elixir and poured it on the wound. Na Daeyong had already lost consciousness.

The child stopped crying and stared at Na Daeyong. “…Miss. Is this man going to be okay?”

“Yes. He’ll be fine.”

It was dangerous here. Seeing that the child had calmed down, Cha Doyeon hoisted the large Na Daeyong onto her back and, with the child, painstakingly took one step at a time. A glance behind her revealed a gruesome scene. Every time the Immortal rampaged, hunters’ bodies were sent flying like toys. Among them were Jo Yonghee and Kim Sarang.

She couldn’t help now. She didn’t have the strength. Cha Doyeon could only pray for everyone’s safety as she walked.

An indestructible monster. It was too much. How could something like that exist? Disasters were only getting more difficult. Would the world really end one day?

“Watch out over there! It’s coming your way!”

The Immortal broke through the hunters and charged toward them.

’Ah.’

Coming face to face with the transparent giant, Cha Doyeon froze. She felt death creeping up on her. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

’Anyone, please!’

She squeezed her eyes shut. ’Please…!’

In that instant.

A black spear of light pierced the night clouds, streaking down to slam directly into the Immortal’s head.

“Whoa!”

A deafening roar erupted. Everyone shielded their faces with their arms to withstand the tremendous shockwave.

“…What the!”

When the shockwave subsided, the Immortal was on the ground, its head buried in the pavement. And on top of its head stood a man in a navy blue robe.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Everyone was speechless. The giant that no one had been able to stop, that they could at best make stumble once, was now pathetically collapsed on the ground.

“The Archmage is here!”

Cheers and shouts erupted from all sides. Lee Jaehyun’s face brightened as he hit his radio. “This is T-4! The Archmage has returned to Changwon! We can hold out longer!”

’Everyone has such high expectations.’

Yusin gave a bitter smile. He wasn’t in the best condition, having just fainted after using a fifth-order spell.

’Still, I suppose I have to take care of this.’

* * *

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