abcnovels
Chapter 46
Chapter 46
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 46
Slash!
Baekya swung the Fire Dragon Sword, beheading a low-rank demon.
Bzzt!
He fired an Incineration Ray, bringing down a mid-rank demon that was flying through the air.
'There's no end to them.'
The Hunters fought valiantly.
At the center of the front line, Cheong Siyeol and the Azure Sky Sword Sect unleashed streams of blue sword aura and sword energy.
"Azure Sky Swords!"
The 25 of them moved as one, showcasing a skill where one was like 25, and 25 were like one.
No demon could withstand their consecutive sword strikes more than three times.
The flanks were also holding strong.
They concentrated their firepower on strategic points and used their abilities to shape the battlefield.
Mages, Earth Manipulators, and Cryomancers raised walls to restrict the demons' path.
Lightning, magic bullets, and fireballs rained down on the kill zones they created.
The Gate Management Department Hunters managed to evacuate tens of thousands of civilians back to Seoul before the demons could break through.
The Awakened Support Agency Hunters supported the guild Hunters by distributing potions and casting blessing spells.
However…
All that passion, duty, conviction, and resolve.
Lost all meaning in the face of overwhelming numbers.
"---, ---!"
For every one they killed, a hundred more demons swarmed in.
For every hundred they killed, a thousand more came.
The black plain had long been stained with the light of burning longswords.
The Azure Sky Sword Sect at the front lines started to slow down.
"Leader."
"The B-Ranks are at their limit. Only we will remain."
Their white and blue uniforms were dyed the same crimson as the sky.
Baekya, who had been fighting on the left flank, was now running back and forth to the right flank, putting out fires wherever they flared up like a firefighter.
?Incineration Ray?
?Wave of Fire?
?Resonance Wave?
?Radiant Sword?
?Flame Arrows?
'Mana...'
10% recovery every 10 seconds.
Payback from Law of Light.
The Constellation bears 25% of the mana cost.
Even considering all that, it was reaching its limit.
The ground was still stained red, the original black color only groaning beneath.
A demon with wings took flight from afar.
It was four times larger than the other demons.
?Warning! Warning! Warning!?
?High-rank Demon 'Bloodlust Demon (A)' has appeared.?
["---, ---!"]
Cheong Siyeol gritted his teeth and pointed his sword at the demon.
He had to bring it down with a single External Qi blast.
It wasn't that he lacked mana.
He was the greatest masterpiece among the disciples forged by the light of 'Sword Saint' Cheong Siyeol and 'Sun of Humanity' Baekya.
When he climbed the Tower with Baekya, there were times when they fought for an entire week.
So the reason his sword tip wavered was...
"...."
'How many days will it take?'
Even if they fought for another week, he didn't think they could kill all these demons.
But he hadn't learned to give up.
?Azure Sky Sword Technique: External Qi Manifestation?
Fwoosh—!
He unleashed a blue crescent moon from his longsword, striking down the high-rank demon.
?Warning! Warning! Warning!?
?Two High-rank Demons 'Bloodlust Demon (A)' have appeared.?
Two filled the spot where one had fallen, but...
'One more time.'
The cold flames burning in his blue eyes didn't die out.
His idol, his hero, his sun never lowered his head even in situations a hundred, a thousand times more bleak than this.
He never dared to think he could replace him.
He just wanted to live as a disciple and comrade who wouldn't be ashamed until the very end.
What stopped him from unleashing another External Qi Manifestation was...
The cold voice that came from behind him.
["Oh, God of Machines."]
?Deus Ex Machina?
Fwoosh—!
The illusion of a jet-black, elongated steel giant loomed over everyone's heads.
The steel giant's gun barrel spewed fire, and a white magic bullet tore through the wind.
Whoosh!
The white magic bullet split into two like twin comets in front of the two monsters.
Bam!
It silenced both high-rank demons simultaneously.
"I'm late."
'Mr. Pistol' Lee Eunwoo joined the fray, leading the Iron Blood Legion Hunters.
His stylishly parted dark brown hair and red and blue earrings fluttered in the hot wind.
Hundreds of Iron Blood Legion Hunters marched in behind him.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Clad in cyberpunk-style heavy armor and wielding gleaming metal guns, the Iron Blood Legion Hunters resembled an army.
"To your positions."
Lee Eunwoo, standing next to Cheong Siyeol, gestured elegantly.
The Iron Blood Legion Hunters deployed behind the left and right flanks.
The Iron Blood Legion had suffered a major setback at the 'Ghost Princess's Castle' in the past.
To explain, at that time, the Hunter industry had come to a standstill, and the supply of various consumables was not smooth.
Lee Eunwoo, in his own way, had planned to use that Gate to eliminate an executive and his subordinates who suspected him of killing Baekya.
Now, the situation was completely different.
Consumables were fully stocked.
Lee Eunwoo intended to do everything in his power to keep Baekya alive.
He proved with results that his earlier explanation was not an excuse but a clarification.
["Fire."]
Mana-infused bullets, loaded and blessed with the Holy Church's scrolls, were fired from the guns.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A single bullet pierced through the heads of 30 demons before finally stopping after embedding itself in the skull of the 31st.
?Warning! Warning! Warning!?
?High-rank Demon 'Myriad Horrors (A+)' has appeared.?
A massive entity, its height reaching nearly ten stories of an apartment building, rose amidst the demons.
"Thanks for making yourself an easy target."
Lee Eunwoo summoned 'Deus Ex Machina' once more.
Bam!
The high-rank demon, not even a minute after rising, was silenced, crushing its own allies under its weight.
A slight respite opened up on the front lines.
Cheong Siyeol sent his disciples to the rear in turns for healing and blessings.
"Group 1, retreat."
Lee Eunwoo twirled his magic gun, transformed into a revolver, and surveyed the battlefield.
He had to find Baekya before Cheong Siyeol did.
'Where is he?'
But Baekya seemed to be deliberately hiding, nowhere to be found.
Boom. Boom!
With fireballs and beams flying everywhere, he couldn't even use his abilities to locate him.
Just then, an Aitel notification drew Lee Eunwoo's attention to the front.
?Mid-Rank Demon Flame Ripper (B+) has appeared.?
A massive hyena-shaped monster, clad in thick brass armor, was leaping towards him.
An elite demon, wielding a flaming longsword in one hand, sat atop the monster's back.
The distance between them was a few dozen steps.
In a battle between an Awakened and a monster, this was practically point-blank range.
'This is troublesome.'
Lee Eunwoo suppressed a wry smile with cold rationality.
His magic gun was currently in revolver form.
He could definitely kill one of them.
But he could only kill one.
If he killed the rider, the monster would maul him; if he killed the monster, the rider would swing his flaming sword.
Lee Eunwoo didn't hesitate for long.
He aimed at the monster, prepared to be slashed by the flaming sword.
But he didn't even need to pull the trigger.
Whoosh!
A flaming arrow flew from between the front lines.
Its trajectory, flying from behind him, past him, and towards the front, felt strangely familiar.
Boom!
'Descent from the Crimson Flames' exploded cleanly.
An Awakened in white and red armor emerged from the flames.
He swung his elegantly curved longsword, piercing the monster's eye.
Stab!
["How dare you!"]
The Blazing Crusher swung its flaming sword, aiming to inflict a fatal wound on the Awakened.
Clang!
But it couldn't even scratch the armor.
Lee Eunwoo used 'Appraisal' to identify the armor, and...
?Mantle of the Demon Marquis (Heroic)?
'What the hell is he wearing?!'
Lee Eunwoo was silently shocked.
Baekya, with the 'Fire Dragon Sword' still piercing through the monster's eye, extended his left hand.
'Hellfire' blazed fiercely in his hand.
Sizzle!
He grabbed the rider's face and burned it.
"Kyaaaah!"
The demon screamed and melted away.
The hazy mana was absorbed into Baekya.
Thump!
The monster knelt on the ground.
Baekya pulled out his longsword and gracefully leaped backward, landing next to Lee Eunwoo.
The Awakened fighting on the flanks cheered.
"Nice!"
"That was awesome!"
"Amazing!"
Lee Eunwoo felt a volcano-like heat, on the verge of eruption, churning within his chest.
"...If you were going to do that, why not just take off the handkerchief, reveal your halo, and use Law of Light?"
Baekya looked back at him with an expression full of the confidence of a strong man.
"Even after regressing, you're still not honest? At times like this, you just say thank you."
Seeing that sly smile made him want to pull the trigger right at Baekya's face.
Lee Eunwoo suppressed that urge with superhuman rationality and asked—
"Just one question."
"What is it? I'll answer."
"Is this... something you orchestrated?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
The demons here were of the Flame Realm.
Before the regression, it was a Rank 2 Gate, and the scale was much smaller.
Considering that he had cleared it with Baekya back then, it might be an irrational suspicion.
But having witnessed the end of the world, he couldn't help but ask.
Baekya frowned deeply and fired an Incineration Ray towards the front.
Bzzt!
The hyena monster that was charging fell, and its rider tumbled to the ground.
He answered as if preaching an eternal truth.
"I am Baekya. The Sun of Humanity. I would rather let the world betray me than betray the world myself."
Lee Eunwoo stood mesmerized, listening to his answer.
The red light of the sky was reflected deeply in Baekya's eyes and the white halo above his head.
"And I will not betray myself either."
Under the burning sky, on the scorched earth.
The Hunter, also known as the Master of Fire, stood tall like a God of this world.
Lee Eunwoo let out a sigh and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A demon aiming at Baekya with a hand cannon fell.
"See, it was definitely more efficient to keep you alive."
Baekya shrugged confidently.
He took down three demons approaching Lee Eunwoo with two sword strikes.
"Of course. Is that even a question?"
"Don't try to be clever in the future. Not before I decide it's more efficient to kill you."
"You talk about killing people so easily... Well, I guess."
He channeled his mana to use Radiant Sword.
The sword raised beside his face glowed orange, and Baekya's eyes were reflected on its surface.
They were eyes filled with pure focus, completely immersed in the moment.
"That's why I took you as my disciple."
Lee Eunwoo's sky-blue eyes shook violently.
There were moments, both then and now, when he simply couldn't figure Baekya out.
'Just what are you...'
He shook off his thoughts and transformed his pistol into a shotgun.
This place required cold rationality, not lingering thoughts.
* * *
Wolha stood still at the entrance of the building where Baekya had left.
People who came out of the Gate fled to one side under the guidance of the Gate Management Department Hunters.
The sky was bustling with helicopters sent from various guilds.
It was filled with noise.
"Come out this way!"
"Dad! Dad!"
"Treat the injured on-site! The sky is congested with helicopters right now!"
"We've requested Healers."
"Why aren't more Rankers coming!?"
But Wolha couldn't feel the unique energy of Rankers, that suffocating and inhuman mana.
'They're not here.'
He vaguely knew that the Korean Hunter industry had been acting strangely since Baekya's death.
He didn't even bother asking, knowing he wouldn't get an answer, but Ilha and Ryu Haneul had mentioned that they were working on something related to Baekya.
An F-Rank like him had no access to any information.
But one thing was for sure, Ilha was inside that Gate right now.
And only two High-Rankers had entered.
He didn't know exactly how powerful a Rank 1 Gate was.
But even Baekya had said that he couldn't easily clear a Rank 1 Gate.
Wolha turned on his smartphone.
[Ryu Haneul]
"...."
He was a strangely uncomfortable person.
He knew, intellectually, that Ryu Haneul was a very helpful person.
Thanks to him, Wolha could focus solely on his studies while living in a nice house and eating delicious food.
He was also helping his brother, who had signed the Black Hole Contract, in every way possible.
Perhaps it was an unfair prejudice born from his Heavenly Demon class.
But whenever Ryu Haneul visited their old house or the current official residence, the way he looked at him...
It was as if... he was looking at an insignificant opponent who had stolen something precious from him.
Like looking at a reseller who had swept away merchandise from a game he enjoyed, or an ugly businessman who was marrying his favorite idol.
But he was the 7th Ranked High-Ranker in South Korea.
He was the only one who could help his brother.
"Hello?"
The area was practically in a state of communication blackout due to the countless calls from people worried about their families and friends, various radio transmissions, and mana waves.
But the call to that number connected instantly, as if it were using a different satellite.
A cold voice answered.
[Hong Wolha?]
"Yes. Yes!"
[I'm busy right now. If there's a problem at home, tell the residence manager...]
"I'm calling about the Gate. It's chaos here, and they say they're short on Rankers. Isn't the Sun-Moon Divine Sect coming?"
A sigh came from the other end of the smartphone.
[Ha...]
[Why would we trust those bastards and go there... No, wait. What am I saying to an F-Rank...]
[I'm the Deputy Sect Leader, not the Leader. Whether we respond to the summons or not is decided by the Leader, not me. Understand? I'm hanging up.]
Wolha didn't ask if they would face severe punishment for not following the mobilization order.
He didn't ask why they weren't coming even though a Rank 1 Gate had appeared, causing such a commotion in the Hunter industry.
"My brother is inside the Gate."
[I'll be there in 5 minutes. Don't hang up.]
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]