abcnovels
Chapter 69
Chapter 69
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 69
They were evil incarnate.
"Kill them all. Impartially."
"Eternal darkness shall come to this star too."
"Let's paint it black. Not a single white fragment shall remain."
They loved chaos and praised destruction.
In their wake, only screams, frustration, and despair remained.
It is said that modern metropolises cannot function for even a few days without external supplies.
They enjoyed proving that fact.
They isolated cities and...
'The bridge is down.'
'The rescue team can't come. The army has been annihilated!'
'The eastern road has melted.'
They heightened anxiety and...
'Flying monsters!'
'My dad was taken!'
They enjoyed watching people driven to extremes.
'Ah, mister, why are you doing this?'
'Come out now, and I'll let you off with just one arm.'
'Is this... really sea turtle soup?'
They had contracted with the black star and...
"We must return it to black, impartially. But there's one place that keeps getting brighter. It's defying the laws of the world. Everyone is getting darker, embracing the night equally, but only that place is getting brighter. It's truly absurd."
"There was a sun there. A sun that emitted light alone. But... it has set now."
"Get your tools. Let's go, guys."
The world called them the Black Star Cluster.
Late at night, at the central mana stone exchange in Korea.
The security guard, a C+ rank Awakened, saw something moving in the shadows.
"..."
Instead of shouting "Who's there!", he pressed the yellow button on his radio.
Click.
60. 59. 58...
The timer ticked in the earpiece.
It was a security device that would automatically sound an alarm and contact the police if the yellow button wasn't pressed again within a minute.
30. 29. 28...
The security guard activated his 'Detection' skill and looked around.
The skill didn't detect anything.
However, he saw several tiles that were about 1mm lower than the surrounding tiles.
They were tiles that would be slightly pressed down if a certain weight was placed on them.
The security guard immediately tried to press the red button on his radio.
"...!"
But a tall man, No. 2, jumped out from the darkness and struck him on the head with a crowbar.
"How did he know?"
"Gah!"
It was a man wearing shiny black leather clothes, his entire body bound with white leather straps and silver buckles.
Thud!
The faithful security guard collapsed like an office worker after three days of overtime.
The difference was that he would never get up again.
No. 2 burst into rough laughter.
The gas mask covering his face made the laughter sound grotesque.
Starting with him, a large number of Awakened in bondage gear and armed with tools poured in.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
They easily knocked down the security guards blocking their way and headed towards the mana stone warehouse.
"Open it."
"Are you ready?"
"I've set up the combustion magic circle. All we need are the mana stones."
It wasn't like the central mana stone exchange held the majority of Korea's mana stones.
However, the amount of mana stones piled up in the warehouse, which was as big as a typical distribution center, was enormous.
It was bright enough to see even without turning on the lights, illuminated by the blue glow of the stones.
The Awakened of the Black Star Cluster exchanged glances and nodded.
"Let's begin."
One of the Awakened snapped his gloved fingers to create a spark and threw it on the floor.
Fwoosh!
A huge magic circle made of translucent light had been drawn on the floor beforehand.
As soon as the flame touched it, the magic circle burned rapidly, leaving black marks.
The Awakened of the Black Star Cluster placed the mana stones from the warehouse in the center of the magic circle.
The magic circle opened a Gate.
It was a type of Gate that could only be used on Earth, cost billions per second to maintain, and was a blessing granted only by black hole constellations, so other Hunters couldn't use it, but it was still a Gate.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Powerful magic waves surged repeatedly, and the scene beyond the Gate became visible.
Minotaur monsters, their bodies reaching the height of a five-story building, roamed around the ruined city.
One of the Cluster members burst into laughter.
"Shall we start with these guys?"
Another member tilted his head.
"Can't we just bring out the S+ rank right away?"
The member who had laughed looked back at him.
"That wouldn't be fun. We have to enjoy it. That's the most important thing."
As if those words were a signal, the giant minotaurs began to cross over to this side of the Gate, kicking up dust.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The parking lot in front of the warehouse, usually lined with countless trucks, was now filled with a herd of minotaurs.
Their eyes gleamed with madness, and electric sparks flew from their horns and hooves.
Just as they were about to charge into Seoul...
"So it's today."
A slender figure appeared on the roof of the warehouse building.
The bright moonlight cast his shadow long.
He was wearing an oriental robe embroidered with a yellow dragon and had a blackish-purple halo above his head.
No. 2, who had wielded the crowbar earlier, felt a surge of frustration.
'How anticlimactic.'
They were supposed to be the protagonists of tonight.
"How dare you look straight at me?"
The slender Hunter, Ryu Haneul, spoke as if reading No. 2's gaze from beyond the gas mask.
"If you are also a demon, you dare not raise your head before me!"
Unlike in front of Baekya, his tone and gestures were arrogant and unrestrained.
["Kneel."]
But Ryu Haneul's words were imbued with power.
?Heavenly Demon's Advent: Ten Thousand Souls Embrace?
Bang!
The lord of ten thousand demons declared.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
One by one, the minotaur monsters that filled the spacious parking lot knelt.
"Whoa?!"
"Moo!"
Even the monsters' eyes wavered in confusion, but they couldn't defy Ryu Haneul's will.
To those who belonged to the realm of demons, the Heavenly Demon's declaration was a law in itself.
Thud! Thud!
As the monsters knelt, the Sun-Moon Divine Guild Hunters appeared on the roof.
They leaped down to the parking lot, their robes with the sun and moon fluttering.
Each plunged their weapons deep into the necks of the kneeling minotaur monsters.
Thud. Thud!
The Black Star Cluster members gritted their teeth.
Thud.
No. 2 slung the crowbar over his shoulder and glared at Ryu Haneul.
"How dare you."
Ryu Haneul smiled arrogantly, as if wondering why he wasn't kneeling.
"Yes, how dare you."
The next moment, Choi Gimin, who had been hiding behind Ryu Haneul, jumped out.
"Ha, hahaha!"
His magic eyes, freed from his sunglasses, flashed like a monstrous cat's.
?Petrification?
Flash!
The Black Star Cluster members, who were glaring at Ryu Haneul, couldn't avoid the light hitting them head-on.
"Damn it!"
"FUCK!"
Choi Gimin was the first to jump down to the warehouse.
Ryu Haneul also drew his Dark Heavenly Demon Sword and followed Choi Gimin, throwing himself down.
It was the beginning of a long night.
* * *
'I thought at least one or two would notice.'
The Ghost Swordsman thought as he walked down the street.
[Gate alert, Gate alert, citizens, please...]
Disaster warnings blared from loudspeakers throughout the city.
The Ghost Swordsman chose a random high school and entered.
All schools were equipped with artifacts to create barriers, and there were also mana stones to operate these artifacts.
It was a policy that would be impossible in a country without a level of public safety comparable to South Korea.
The Ghost Swordsman intended to exploit this policy.
Thud!
The Ghost Swordsman rushed to the classroom where the artifact was stored, knocking out the janitor and the gym teacher with his scabbard.
"Who are you?!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Teachers and students flocked to the scene, but the Ghost Swordsman possessed them with ghosts and sent them back to the classroom.
If he did it himself, it would be murder, but if he used the hands of monsters, it would be fate.
The Ghost Swordsman opened the storage room, drew a magic circle, and poured all the mana stones from the safe into the center of it.
Flash!
A blood-red pillar of light shot up into the night sky of Seoul.
Starting with that pillar, other pillars of light began to rise from various parts of Seoul.
?Strange Bird (C)?
?Wyvern (B+)?
?Ghost Ship (B-)?
?Sky Whale Larva (B+)?
Large and small flying monsters poured out from those pillars of light.
["Kaaaagh!"]
Lee Baejeong watched the scene from the 40th-floor banquet hall of a hotel in Seoul.
'It has begun.'
Gathered there were guild masters and prominent Hunters from each guild, who were enjoying (?) the party with the most uncomfortable expressions in the world.
'This is a social gathering hosted by the Administration. Please attend and grace us with your presence.'
'Excuse me?'
'Grace us. With your presence.'
They were all Hunters who had held back during the recent Rank 1 Gate incident.
Naturally, they thought they would face retaliation.
A party?
If it were a charity party, they would have gone with ease.
That was a time-honored signal of reconciliation sent by the government when conflicts arose between the Association and the government.
You guys made a mistake, so pay the fine.
But we'll let you keep your pride.
If they went there and made some donations, the investigation would be dismissed.
But this time, it wasn't a charity party, just a party.
What were they up to?
It felt like they were on the verge of a classic assassination attempt, where they would invite people to a banquet hall and shoot them dead.
Therefore, all the Hunters arrived at the hotel fully armed.
'You too? Me too.'
'I should have worn a few more.'
They wore leather armor under their suits, and their fingers were covered in force field rings.
It seemed like they wouldn't even lose a finger if a nuke fell on the hotel.
It was all part of Lee Baejeong's plan.
It was a way to gather the Hunters in the heart of the incident, fully armed and on high alert.
Ding. Ding. Ding...!
Mobilization messages were sent in succession to the smartphones of all the Hunters gathered at the hotel.
[Gate Management Department transmission: Large-scale terrorist attack. Coordinates...]
The Hunters murmured amongst themselves.
"What's going on?"
"Did you get the message too?"
Lee Baejeong clapped his hands loudly twice to gather their attention.
Clap! Clap!
"Everyone."
Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked at him.
Their eyes were all shining with an inhuman light, and white rings or colorful halos were floating above their heads.
Lee Baejeong faced their wary gazes head-on.
He narrowed his eyes, grinning, and spread his arms theatrically.
"I trust that everyone has checked their messages today."
He pointed to the pillars of light outside the window and then to the exit leading to the emergency stairs.
It was the most polite attitude in the world.
"Now, you can go out and fight."
* * *
[Cheong Siyeol: I'll go to Seocho.]
[Lee Eunwoo: Lee Eunwoo in Yeongdeungpo.]
[Na Jeongwon: Jongno.]
[Park Seojin: I'm in Yongsan!]
[Joo Soohyuk: I'll take care of Gwanak and then head to Dongjak.]
Messages popped up one by one in the regressors' group chat.
[Lee Eunwoo: I don't know what kind of trouble this is. It's not like I said let's not kill him, I said let's kill him after we've built up enough strength, didn't I?]
[Lee Eunwoo: If only Baekya were here, we wouldn't have to go through this.]
[Joo Soohyuk: Shut up, I get it.]
[Lee Eunwoo: If you get it, then you can shut up.]
[Joo Soohyuk: I don't want to see you whining.]
Messages were also popping up on the Ghost Swordsman's smartphone.
The Ghost Swordsman stood on the roof of the school, looking at the pillars of light rising from all directions.
It was a spectacular sight.
He channeled mana into his artifact earring.
"Cheong Siyeol in Seocho, Lee Eunwoo in Yeongdeungpo, Na Jeongwon in Jongno, Joo Soohyuk in Gwanak, Park Seojin in Yongsan. I'm in Yongsan."
The magic wave emanating from the Gate was interfering with radio communication.
Having sufficient communication equipment beforehand was a basic requirement for a professional terrorist.
"If possible, avoid engaging with high-rankers. There are many schools and government offices in Seoul. Also, if things get unfavorable, let's retreat individually. A country doesn't fall just from physical destruction. Even with a few shocks..."
As he continued speaking...
Whoosh!
A flaming arrow flew towards him.
The Ghost Swordsman expertly dodged it by leaning back, but he didn't expect the flaming arrow to explode.
Bang!
He also didn't expect a person to emerge from it.
"I wasn't originally planning on coming. I thought I had done enough."
"Baekya."
He had a presence that filled the empty rooftop, and he was wearing armor made of countless silver-gray scales.
"But I can't stand feeling uneasy. Well, that Leveler also looked interesting."
Baekya held the 22nd Century Katana in his right hand.
The long blade glowed like molten steel.
"I'll admit it. I want to quickly go to the Tower, become stronger, and get my disciples back. But after getting them back, I wanted to see you guys again as soon as possible, regardless of whether people die from the Black Star Cluster's terrorism! That can't be right, can it?"
He ignited white flames in his left hand.
It was the flame of Law of Light, more refined and powerful than before.
"Yes, that can't be right."
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]