Chapter 286: Episode 286

“I’m going first.”

Yusin kicked off the ground and leaped. Feathers scattered from his body, moving as if they had a will of their own to form an ’Acceleration Circle’ in front of him. Passing through the series of circles, his surroundings changed in the blink of an eye. With a single leap, Yusin was above the demon’s head.

Creeak!

The demon’s arm joint twisted with a grotesque sound as it swung toward him. Yusin extended his right arm. Feathers sprouted from between his fingers and flew forward. They formed Amplification Circles, and subsequent feathers lined up to create layers upon layers of magic circles, like a graphic rendering. In an instant, a pistol formed from twenty layers of buffing magic circles was complete, and the bullets were just beginning to pass through the barrel.

<Kim Yusin Original – Armageddon>

The bullets—no, the feathers—that passed through the barrel became a meteor shower, raining down on the demon’s body. He had skipped the mid-air acceleration process, but this was the fastest way to pour on the firepower.

Hmm.

Yusin’s eyebrow twitched as he stared into the thick smoke from the explosion.

-Tower Master, a shield, presumed to be a force field-type ability, has been detected ahead.

A purplish force field was spread before the demon’s body. To block a full-frontal Armageddon, its defensive power had to be considerable. But Yusin’s role had always been the bait.

Hong Yeon, who had charged in hidden by the smoke, had a clear path to the demon’s back. Taking a long breath, she tightened her grip on her sword. A red slash that seemed to split the world descended diagonally.

’There’s resistance on the blade…’

She opened her eyes. Until now, nothing had ever withstood this attack, but the force field protecting the monster had blocked her strike. It had only left a slight, diagonal scratch.

“Dodge, Hong Yeon!” Yusin yelled.

The demon’s arm shot out like a spearhead, and Hong Yeon kicked off the air to evade. As she hung in the air from the evasive maneuver, the demon gathered mana in its mouth.

“…Hup!”

A destructive beam of violet light shot toward her in an instant. She swung her sword and sliced through the beam. The divided blast tore through the ground in a straight line, devastating everything in its path. The danger was palpable enough to send a chill down her spine.

’So it’s more of a defensive type, huh?’ Yusin thought. Still, it wasn’t completely impenetrable.

Just as Yusin was gathering his mana again, the demon wiggled its fingers as if performing a magic trick. A rift opened in front of it, revealing the sky over Seoul.

“…No!” Hong Yeon shouted, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes with all her might, but the demon leisurely threw itself into the rift. Its head and arms passed through, followed by its legs, which had been hidden in the chasm. Her hundreds of sword strikes were once again blocked by the purple force field.

’Damn it!’ Yusin bit his lip. The demon had been unleashed from its hell.

WHOOOOSH!

Falling from thousands of meters in the sky, the demon looked down. It saw the sandy ground. Crossing its arms to protect its head, it plunged toward the sand.

BOOOOM!

The sand surged like a wave, and the demon’s body broke through. Finally, the sight of Seoul, filled with human structures, entered the demon’s view.

“Raaaaaaah!”

The demon’s cry echoed. Even ordinary people who couldn’t sense mana could feel the killing intent radiating from the high-rank monster. Seoul was instantly thrown into chaos. People screamed and ran from the demon. Panicked drivers swerved onto sidewalks, and a father threw his two children over his shoulders and dashed into a nearby bank building.

The demon looked down at the humans scattering like ants. It chose the most crowded spot as its landing point and gathered mana in its legs.

Just then, two legs landed firmly on the demon’s shoulders. The demon’s body was sent flying for hundreds of meters before crashing into a empty concrete lot.

The concrete road was torn apart as the demon cried out in pain. A golden dragon—Seo Shimhee, transformed into Andras—had been the first to spot the demon and descend. As the demon flailed its arms wildly in resistance, Andras grabbed it and flew, slamming it into a nearby parking tower.

With a harsh metallic screech, the demon’s face broke through the steel structure. Andras flew back and gathered mana in its mouth, preparing for a Dragon’s Breath.

The demon also shattered the wall, pulled its face free, and gathered mana in its own mouth. Soon, flashes of gold and violet light clashed.

“Whoa!”

“Hah!”

City flyers and trash were sent scattering chaotically into the sky. The two forces exploded, and the resulting shockwave shattered building windows and uprooted streetlights.

“This is insane…” A veteran hunter who had been chasing the demon quickly dodged to the side. A building sign and a bicycle crashed down where he had just been standing. He crouched and keyed his mic. “This is S-78! The Irregular and hunter Seo Shimhee are engaged in combat in Jongno-gu!”

After finishing his report, he trembled as he watched the dragon and the demon fight. ’This is like something out of a monster movie…’

CRASH!

But the demon was stronger. Struck by a swinging arm, Seo Shimhee was sent flying with a whoosh, crashing into a building. Amidst the thick smoke, the building began to creak and tilt.

“It’s c-collapsing!”

“Get back!”

While Seo Shimhee struggled to support the collapsing building, the demon leaped away and began to rampage elsewhere. The situation was already dire, with Seoul’s population concentrated due to the Cataclysm.

“All forces, converge on Jongno immediately!”

“The Irregular from the Red Gate has escaped into Seoul!”

Meanwhile, Yusin and Hong Yeon were descending from the sky above Seoul, following the demon. The reports they were hearing painted a grim picture. Hong Yeon grabbed her mic.

“Do not engage directly. Just buy as much time as you can. I’m on my way.”

“Understood!”

After ending the transmission, her face turned pale. “This is my fault. I let it get away…”

“Is this really the time for that?” Yusin sighed softly. “If you couldn’t stop it, no one could have. Let’s focus on dealing with the situation at hand.”

“…Right!” She nodded, then added in a barely audible voice, “You haven’t changed at all, Sunbae.”

“You think so?”

Just then, a static-filled voice came through his earpiece.

“…Hey, is that really you, Kim Yusin?”

The voice was trembling. Yusin recognized it instantly. He switched to a private channel and replied, “Yeah. Thanks for coming, Yoonjeong.”

He fell silent.

There was no answer, as if she were at a loss for words. Yusin knew how much she wanted to say, and how hard she was trying to swallow it all.

Finally, she spoke. “Tell me what to do. Should I drop the barrier and join the fight against the Irregular?”

“No, keep blocking the monsters falling from the rift, just like you’re doing. We can handle the big one somehow, but if the small fry get through, we’re done for.”

Yusin increased the speed of his Wing Golem. He had to take down the demon before the damage worsened.

* * *

With the demon’s descent, all of Seoul became a battlefield. The cunning monster constantly changed locations, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Hunters were in pursuit, but the damage was snowballing.

This time, the demon clung to the underside of a massive building and roared. The traffic was paralyzed by fleeing people, and the narrow streets were a scene of utter chaos.

“Dynamic Korea, indeed!”

Just then, a wave of water sped up the side of the building the demon was clinging to. Atop it stood the Water Mage, Kim Sarang, her arms crossed over her sunglasses. “This place never gets boring!”

Water cannons erupted from the wave she was riding, firing with thunderous roars. The demon raised an arm to block them, but its body shook violently with each impact. Apparently in pain, it twisted its torso and opened its mouth wide. A violet beam of destruction shot out in a straight line, instantly vaporizing the wave she was on. Leaping from the disappearing wave, Kim Sarang smiled as she fell from the building.

“Now!”

The wall of the building near the demon’s abdomen instantly melted away, and the Poison Mage, Jo Yonghee, latched onto it. The demon reached to swat him away, but…

“…Too late.”

The dense mana in Jo Yonghee’s body exploded.

<Poison Explosion>

Shwaaaaa!

Green liquid rained down, covering the demon’s entire body. It was a direct hit. But Jo Yonghee, still stuck to its chest, looked up at the demon with bewildered eyes.

“Huh? Why isn’t this working…?”

Struck by the demon’s arm, Jo Yonghee was sent flying through a window. The demon roared loudly and looked around. It had finally found what it came to the surface for. Its gaze was fixed on the Cataclysm currently unfolding over Seoul.

It began to move. The demon leaped, latching onto the next building. Bounding from building to building, it rapidly approached its destination.

A colossal mass appeared from the sky, crushing the demon’s body.

“Don’t destroy my neighborhood, you monster!”

It was the Sky Castle, piloted by Ha Yerin. Overwhelmed by its weight and mass, the demon was slammed into the road.

“Wooooooooooh!”

The edge of the Sky Castle carved a long scar into the ground as it dragged the demon and crashed into a nearby building. The impact was so great that even the demon was stunned, flailing its arms while pinned under the castle.

“Hah, hah…”

Inside the Sky Castle, Ha Yerin gasped for breath. She herself didn’t know what had possessed her to do something so reckless.

“…Did I get it?”

“Aaaah?!”

The Sky Castle shuddered and tilted sharply. Inside, she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor. The demon, having broken through the road, crawled out from under the Sky Castle.

Enraged, the demon unleashed a barrage of indiscriminate attacks on the Sky Castle. Each time it opened its mouth and fired a beam of destruction, Ha Yerin, inside, felt her stomach churn.

’Ow, it hurts.’

Because she was linked to the Sky Castle, she felt as if she were sharing its pain.

“GRAWR!”

The demon roared and once again approached the Cataclysm. As its long fingers caressed the barrier, the membrane was sucked into its hand as if being absorbed. The demon smiled in satisfaction. The fingers of both hands wriggled like they were playing a piano.

A red membrane spread out from the demon’s body, expanding across the entirety of Seoul. The city’s sky turned a bloody crimson.

“…What’s happening now?”

As the citizens trembled in fear, the underground shelters and high-rise buildings they were hiding in began to turn translucent. The Cataclysm was now engulfing all of Seoul.

* * *

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep