Chapter 114: Pre-emptive Attack (5)

Episode 7: Tidal Wave of Monsters / Chapter 114: Pre-emptive Attack (5)

TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk

Choi Hyuk stopped, standing in the horde of monsters.

He had received a call from Commander Mack.

{Sorry. It’s an evacuation order. I have no choice.}

Commander Mack had a grave expression.

“… Is this the same as the doppelganger incident?”

Even while he plucked the heads off the monsters rushing towards him, his expression remained calm. He nonchalantly asked whether this was a plot targeting earthlings set up by someone above.

Mack shook her head.

{No, it’s not like that this time. Although it sounds silly if I put it this way… It’s a justified order. Currently, the monsters are beginning to launch attacks throughout the universe. In fact, even the capital of the Laniakea Supercluster, Dark City, is under attack. Although I am sorry, regulation-wise, defending Dark City takes priority.}

Well, in the alliance’s perspective, the value of Dark City was incomparable to Dragonic. To them, this was an obvious measure.

Unsheathing his sword and cutting down a line of monsters, Choi Hyuk candidly nodded his head.

He even nonchalantly asked,

“But commander, you look a bit angry?”

{… I’m sorry. While Dark City is an important base for the alliance… To you earthlings, there currently isn’t anything more precious than Dragonic right now. Although the alliance outwardly talks about the equality of its members, in moments like this… Damn it. I too… Haa. I’m sorry.}

Rather than Choi Hyuk, it was Commander Mack who had a more difficult time controlling her emotions. She tightly closed and then reopened her eyes.

{Either way, my duty is to protect Dark City. I am sorry we left so irresponsibly. I pray for your success in this war.}

The call ended.

Choi Hyuk still had a calm expression. His lips had curled up into a gentle smile.

He exhaled a short breath and shot forward, slashing a monster’s face with his sword. A molar the size of a forearm broke and a fist-sized eyeball popped out.

As he looked at the scene-

Twitch.

His gentle smile convulsed. His calm eyes flared. The veins on his arms bulged.

“Those bastards…”

Choi Hyuk’s feet moved while he broke out in swears. The calmness he disguised himself in until now split open, and indescribable emotions surged forward. Despair became rage, and rage became hatred…

“Flaming Wing Dance.”

Wings of scarlet flames erupted from his back.

“Haha. Bastards.”

Even these flames were the alliance’s. The flames burned on his relentless hatred and fluttered like feathers.

“Kiiieeeee!!”

The monsters screamed as their bodies were burned by the flames and crumbled. A cruel smile hung on Choi Hyuk’s lips. Joy sprouted from his hatred.

“Yeah. I’ll kill you all!”

Kwaaaaaaah!

Choi Hyuk’s flames began to devour the Kahur Kabkun.

**

“Bilu and Tangka’s troops evacuated?”

The overseers who also figured out the situation fell into a state of chaos.

“Do you know how many troops were dispatched over there?! We have to order them to retreat before they all die!”

The Queen of England Diana was the first to bring up retreating.

“We can’t!”

Just then, Baek Seoin, who had been close by, cut in.

“Berserkers have been dispatched there as well. Chu Youngjin’s troop was sent to Tangka’s troops, and Ryu Hyunsung, Handke, and Bae Jinman’s troops were dispatched to Bilu’s.”

“So?”

“Berserkers don’t retreat.”

Baek Seoin banged his sword on his shield. As if threatening them, he said viciously,

“If you pull your troops out now, I will take it as leaving the Berserkers to die.”

“You’re crazy! Then you want them all to die together?”

“No. They’ll die when they die, but they need to destroy the Kahur Kabkun before they do.”

Unlike Diana, who looked as though she would burst with anger, Baek Seoin was cool-headed.

“Although our original goal was to destroy 6 Kahur Kabkuns, we need to at least destroy the three we are attacking now. If we don’t, we have no way to defend against the outpour of monsters. We won’t have Tangka or Bilu’s troops to assist us from now on. We need to, at the very least, take this opportunity to destroy the 3 Kahur Kabkuns, which were selected as the strongest. It’ll be harder next time.”

Baek Seoin’s attitude was unyielding, yet his words also contained reason.

To be honest, one would have to fight to know the outcome. They couldn’t be certain whether destroying the three Kahur Kabkuns or retreating and preserving their troops would be beneficial. Although a best action did exist, unless they had come from the future, they couldn’t say what the answer was with certainty.

However, Baek Seoin’s attitude was too resolute. Diana flinched and was pushed back by his spirit before making a desperate expression.

Looking at Diana’s expression, Baek Seoin added in a serious manner,

“My Intuition says so.”

The power of the innate skill ‘Intuition’, which Baek Seoin possessed, had already spread far and wide. When he even said that, she was hard-pressed for words.

As her attitude softened, she asked,

“… Really?”

“Yes. If we pull out all our troops, everyone will die.”

To be honest, Baek Seoin’s Intuition only noticed things that would affect his own safety. He didn’t know whether pulling all the troops out right now would put himself in danger or if they would really all die. However, Baek Seoin decided to simply put it this way. His empty bluff worked.

“I’m Overseer Diana. I’m sorry. I do not permit you to use the military gate system. We will go assist you once we have finished up here. Endure for a bit longer.”

“Yeah, it’s me. We’ll go there soon so endure for a bit longer.”

“This is an order. Even if you are on your own, destroy the Kahur Kabkun. If that’s too difficult, then defend your current position. We’ll be there soon.”

“Defend with your lives on the line!”

Following Diana, Jessie, Camilla, and Yohan all ordered their troops.

{Then… You have to come soon! The situation here isn’t good!}

Although there wasn’t anyone who disobeyed or became angry, there were some who ardently begged for help.

Blaze!

Looking at the scarlet flames that had surged just now, Sovereign Jessie replied,

“Don’t worry. I don’t think we will take long.”

**

“I thought the other guys would retreat, but they aren’t?”

After Warrior Leader Tangka left, Kim Honghyun, Kim Saehyun, and Chu Youngjin’s troop filled his void. Besides them, the other troops looked to have become chaotic at first, but it seemed they received orders from their respective overseers as they soon assembled behind Chu Youngjin’s troop. They could feel their desperation.

Because of this, the Berserkers had a reliable backup.

“Kahur Kabkun. If we don’t break it down, the monsters will continuously pour out. Let’s go smash it apart quickly!”

At Kim Honghyun’s shout, the Berserkers simultaneously took off.

{Keeluaaaah!}

A changed dragon spewed its fatal breath from the air.

Flash!

On the surface, a jaksam, which had rushed in, breaking their ranks, was running amok.

Psssscht!

Shadow teeths stealthily approached the warriors while holding vassal starving ghosts and ambushed them.

Large numbers of monsters they had fought in the past made their appearances. Although they were all difficult to fight, they could still deal with them.

“Cleeear!”

Kim Honghyun jumped high into the air using the Shoes of Hermes and swung his gigantic axe.

Crrraaassh!

Accompanied by an incredible sound, the destructive beam shot by the changed dragon hit his axe and curved.

Rumble!

The reflected destructive beam swept through the monsters instead of the humans.

{Kahllleuk!}

The changed dragon stretched its neck and roared in anger.

Slice.

Kim Saehyun sliced the changed dragon’s head off. As expected of twins, the two new vice-directors had great teamwork.

While Kim Honghyun gathered the monster’s attention, Kim Saehyun used his innate skill {Sharpness} to deal a powerful strike and behead their enemy.

The changed dragon’s head fell accompanied by the terrifying sound of flesh and bone being cut. Its black blood dripped to the ground.

The Berserkers fought as though they were possessed. They didn’t care for ranged or close combat attacks and fought like slaughter machines.

Clank!

Whenever they saw a shadow teeth stealthily approaching, they didn’t hesitate to raise their long rifles. They were karma guns made by combining both the El Tribe and Naro’s technologies. They were quite decent weapons for the lowest-ranked warriors below the 3-star level.

Bang!

The moment the karma was charged, they shot their rifles. The shadow teeth’s upper body shot backwards. As they could kill them without approaching them, they didn’t have to move out of the way as much. As soon as someone shot their gun, a Berserker would unsheathe his sword and stab the head of the approaching monster. At the same time, the shooter would rotate his gun and shoot a monster approximately ten steps away from him before running the opposite direction.

They clearly held the momentum. However, there was a monster the Berserkers were seeing for the first time as well. At first glance, it looked human, yet its skin was patchy and as black as mud. Its arms were especially long, and its head was lowered, revealing dozens of eyes on the top of its head.

A Berserker who sighted this monster shouted arrogantly as he charged.

“Did you come out? Then go back in!”

Rumble!

The specialty of Chu Youngjin’s troop, one hit one kill. His karma surged explosively, and using that strength, he struck out with power that exceeded his stats. He endured the pain that followed after with a shout and resoluteness.

Swish!

His strike shot out like lightning, yet his attack didn’t touch the monster. The monster swung its arm, from which extended a long, sharp blade, at the Berserker. The charging Berserker was sliced by its blade and fell into two pieces.

Whhheeeze….

His sliced body powerlessly emitted the sound of wind escaping his lungs.

The monster emotionlessly stared down at the Berserker’s corpse.

Slop.

It seemed like the monster’s skin was viscous as it would make a slopping sound every time it took a step.

“… Wheeak. Sho wheeak…”

It said in an inarticulate voice. Although it sounded inarticulate, it was definitely speaking Korean.

As if reacting to its voice, new monsters appeared, ripping open the blood vessels of the Kahur Kabkun, and rushing at the humans.

“Keuk!”

“Gaack!”

They were all monsters they hadn’t seen before. They all had their own unique appearances. It was difficult to call them one name like {jaksam} or {shadow teeth}.

They were also strong. The Berserkers, who had been progressing smoothly, were being slaughtered.

Originally, these would have been elite monsters Tangka’s troops would deal with. Without a middle-ranked warrior, the Berserkers would have a difficult time facing these powerful monsters.

Unfortunately, as Tangka’s troops were no longer around, the Berserkers had no choice but to face them.

The Berserkers began to be clearly pushed back. Their relentless advance had quickly reversed.

The El Tribe’s Great Warrior Lantz tried his best to somehow change the tides.

“Kill them! Support the Berserkers! Show them the pride of the El Tribe!”

Following the Great Warrior Lantz’s shout, the El Tribe charged towards the elite monsters as they shot at them. Their long rifles exploded karma endlessly. Pointed, condensed karma shot out.

Bang, bang, bang!

The karma bullets fired by the El Tribe marksmen always found their marks. An elite monster whose entire body was covered in a tough carapace was hit by dozens of bullets in an instant. Its carapace was shattered, and the black mucus inside gushed out.

“Push them back!”

Even Lantz unsheathed his sword and rushed forward. If the El Tribe marksmen wanted to safely shoot their firearms, someone had to stand in front and be their shield. That role fell to Lantz and his bodyguards.

“Hey! Mr. Great Warrior! Let’s go hunt that guy over there!”

Kim Honghyun friendlily waved his hand at Lantz, who came out to the front. The monster he was pointing at was the disgusting monster with black skin and dozens of eyes on the top of its head. The monster that had spoken inarticulate Korean.

The eyes on the top of the monster’s head rolled around leisurely as it observed its surroundings. Just by looking at its posture, Kim Honghyun was certain.

“That guy’s the leader!”

Confident in his Endurance, Kim Honghyun charged towards it without hesitation.

That moment, the dozens of eyes on the top of the monster’s head observed Kim Honghyun at the same time.

Slice!

When the monster swung its long arm, there was a flash. Blood gushed from Kim Honghyun’s chest. Kim Honghyun’s axe had been sliced in two and fell to the ground.

“Huh?”

He hadn’t expected it to possess this much power. Kim Honghyun’s Endurance had been powerlessly sliced through like his axe. Even though Chu Youngjin hadn’t been able to slash him with one strike?

“Brother, dodge!”

Kim Saehyun shouted in surprise, and the Great Warrior Lantz rushed to save Kim Honghyun.

“Blessing of the inverted tree!”

Rumble!

Large tree branches extended from Lantz’s necklace. The branches, which grew like a tidal wave, wrapped around Kim Honghyun and pulled him back.

The monster swung its sharp arms as it charged forward to prevent Kim Honghyun from escaping. Branches were cut as soon as they grew, but its attack narrowly missed Kim Honghyun.

“Wow… Damn, just what is that guy?”

“Sharpness!”

When he heard Kim Honghyun and had become relieved, Kim Saehyun, who arrived late, launched a sharp attack towards the monster that was slicing the branches apart. Although it was too late as an attempt to save Kim Honghyun, as a sudden attack, its timing was amazing.

However, the monster reacted to even this sudden attack.

Slice!

“Huh?”

Two arms simultaneously flew into the air. One was a monster arm, the other was Kim Saehyun’s.

The monster and Kim Saehyun’s eyes fixated on the two arms soaring in the air at the same time. There was a slight confusion, but the monster was the first to move.

Thud!

“Keeuk!”

The monster swung its remaining right arm and grabbed Kim Saehyun’s throat. Having lost both his sword and his right arm, Kim Saehyun couldn’t resist as he was grabbed by the monster’s hand, and his body dangled as it was raised up.

The dozens of eyes on the top of its head thoroughly examined Kim Saehyun’s body.

“Pretty shtrong?”

The monster said in inarticulate Korean. Kim Saehyun became surprised. He was so surprised that, despite his throat being strangled, he asked,

“Gack! You can talk?”

“Ki, ki.”

Yet the monster didn’t reply as its lips spread wide into a smile. The monster slammed Kim Saehyun’s face onto the ground.

Bang!

“Kuack!”

Bang! Bang!

Once, twice, every time it slammed his face on the ground, Kim Saehyun’s nose was crushed and his teeth flew into the air.

Looking at this, Kim Honghyun became enraged.

“You bastard!”

He once again charged recklessly.

The monster glanced at Kim Honghyun before throwing Kim Saehyun, who had turned into a mess. Kim Honghyun hurriedly caught Kim Saehyun and-

Pssscht.

The monster’s right arm pierced through Kim Saehyun’s chest.

“Kehack!”

It was an attack that even pierced Kim Honghyun’s chest as he held Kim Saehyun in his arms.

“Wheak?”

The monster tilted its head and grinned.

“Save the vice-directors!”

Rumble!

The team-leader-level Berserkers rushed forward. The monster didn’t take them on and retreated to the back. It looked like it didn’t want to take any chances. Considering how its left arm was cut off, compared to its overwhelming power, it seemed its defenses were quite weak.

The Berserkers looked after Kim Honghyun and Kim Saehyun while the Great Warrior Lantz stood at the very front, guarding against the monster.

“Their conditions?”

Lantz asked with his eyes fixed on the monster.

“Vice-Director Kim Honghyun will be able to recover soon!”

A Berserker replied.

“Saehyun!!!”

Followed by Kim Honghyun’s screams.