Chapter 45

[Translator - Hestia][Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 45

Thump.

Thump.

My heart pounded.

My lips were dry.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say.

He looked a bit haggard after not seeing him for so long.

"...."

The blue halo above his head still shone brilliantly, and his wavy hair still had its luster, but his cheeks were hollow, as if he hadn't eaten in a while.

Strangely, I felt a bit happy.

At the same time, I felt a slight tightening in my chest.

I wanted him to be a little more haggard, yet I also wanted him to be well-fed and healthy. It was a contradictory and conflicting feeling.

I didn't know why.

Actually, I did.

But I couldn't express it in clear words.

He asked urgently—

"Which guild are you from?!"

I came to my senses and answered.

This was a Rank 1 Gate, after all.

Even if he was the enemy who killed me, it was time to put aside personal feelings for now.

Though I wasn't sure if he would do the same.

"Ah...! I'm not affiliated with any guild. I was in the vicinity and responded to the summons immediately."

Contrary to my worries, he didn't seem to recognize me at all.

High-Ranking Awakened could recognize each other by their halos and mana signatures.

But with my halo and mana signature concealed, it would be absurd if he recognized me now.

It would mean he was relaxed enough to pay attention to faces in this situation.

That fact strangely hurt my feelings.

"Please state your specialty."

"Psychic."

"Alright. Go to the flank and provide support."

I objected.

"Can't you send me to the front lines? This is an artifact armor. I can withstand it."

It wasn't because I was planning to stab Cheong Siyeol in the back, but because I was genuinely worried about the country.

This was a Rank 1 Gate.

Most Hunters wouldn't last a few minutes.

They definitely needed me.

"I know."

Cheong Siyeol gave a reply filled with the charisma of a guild master.

"But the Azure Sky Sword Sect is currently preparing the Harmonious Sword Formation at the front lines. If someone who isn't coordinated joins, it will only hinder us. Please go to the flank."

I pretended to understand and moved towards the flank of the formation.

There must have been a small skirmish at the start because dozens of demon corpses were already scattered around.

Cheong Siyeol went to other Hunters who had just entered the Gate, asking about their positions and incorporating them into his command structure.

"...."

I unclenched my left fist, which I had been tightly gripping since earlier.

My hand was drenched in sweat.

As I moved to the flank, I checked the surrounding terrain and situation.

The sky inside this Gate was red and high, the ground black and low.

A single mountain rising in the distance was the only visible undulation in the vicinity.

Behind him, ordinary people were gathered.

As the Gate had opened in the middle of Seoul, the number of people sucked in was in the tens of thousands.

Naturally, it was far more than the number of Awakened gathered now.

The Awakened from the Gate Management Department were keeping them waiting right in front of the Gate's entrance and exit.

"This Gate will open in 10 minutes! Everyone, please remain calm!"

"You can return in just 10 minutes. Please line up in an orderly fashion so you can enter!"

Controlling a crowd of tens of thousands with only a dozen or so people was a battle in itself.

Fortunately, thanks to the safety education that had been implemented so far and the high level of civic awareness, it was being managed somehow.

It was rewarding to have insisted on nationwide safety education when I was the chairman of the Awakened Association, grabbing the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health and Welfare and shouting at them.

The terrain was slightly valley-shaped, with the left and right sides higher and the center lower.

It was a very minor advantage, but it was still a hundred times better than nothing.

Dozens of Azure Sky Sword Sect Hunters stood at the front, and the flanks were mixed with Awakened Support Agency Hunters and Hunters like me who had rushed over.

Hunters were still entering through the entrance every moment, and their numbers weren't small.

I looked at the notification window in the corner of my vision.

【Time until Release: 00 days 00 hours 05 minutes 01 seconds】

The moment that number dropped to 4 minutes and 59 seconds.

【Warning! Warning! Warning!】

【The Fallen Demon Commander's army reveals itself.】

A sunset glow appeared beyond the horizon.

Fwoosh. Fwoosh!

Countless flames ignited on the black earth.

The Gunner-type Hunters with good eyesight gasped first.

"No way."

"There are too many of them."

"How can we stop that?"

They were demons similar in form to the ones I had killed as soon as I entered.

Demons with humanoid shapes, red skin, curved horns, reverse-jointed legs, and flaming longswords.

They were swarming.

Painting the black earth with a crimson hue.

Their numbers were beyond counting.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud—

The horrifying sound of their footsteps echoed for kilometers, reaching even here.

It was a sound that made you want to drop your weapon and run just by hearing it.

Hunters who seemed to be Mages muttered beside me.

"How many are there?"

"Maybe a hundred thousand?"

"It can't be more than a million, right?"

"...."

I couldn't respond to their hopes.

Excluding insect-type monsters like ants or flies, the largest army I had ever seen at once was five million strong.

Five million.

5,000,000.

Before I awakened, there was a time when Gwanghwamun Square was filled with a sea of candlelight.

The police estimated the maximum number of people at that moment to be about 320,000.

An eight-lane, ten-lane highway filled to the brim and stretching far beyond, that was 320,000.

I had personally witnessed an army nearly twenty times that size on the move.

And the demons swarming now.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The demons marching forward with their horrifying footsteps.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Those demons completely covering one end of the horizon to the other.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

They were definitely more, not less, than the five million army I had seen back then.

At that scale, it wasn't a matter of numbers, but of area.

They would decimate all enemies just by moving, without the need for strategy or tactics.

It was a number that made even me, who had traveled countless other worlds while climbing the Tower, doubt my own eyes.

Many of the Hunters around me had already lost their fighting spirit.

"...The country's doomed."

"Is this for real?"

"I'm going home. It's all over. I should at least kiss my wife one more time before I die."

"Unauthorized departure is a serious crime! Maintain your positions!"

"Who's going to punish us if the country's doomed? Fuck!"

"How are we supposed to stop that without Baekya?"

"Is it really the end? Is the country really going to fall like this?"

Some people even tried to leave the Gate and got into fights with the government Awakened.

Even among those government Awakened, many seemed to have lost their spirit.

I didn't want to blame them.

I was close to succumbing to despair myself, so how could I expect them to be any different?

It was perfectly normal for ordinary people to lose their minds in front of an enemy whose numbers they couldn't even comprehend.

But…

We didn't want to be ordinary people.

There was a reason Aitel placed halos above our heads.

Awakened didn't challenge the Tower just because they loved the other worlds.

Ordinary people didn't tolerate the Awakened' misdeeds because they were fools.

["All Awakened!"]

Cheong Siyeol shouted, looking up at the crimson sky.

His skill-amplified voice boomed across the area.

["We have been chosen by the Aitel system and the Constellations."]

He drew his blue sword and pointed it forward.

["Let's show those demons."]

A blue sword aura blazed, as if pushing back the red sky.

["The power of the chosen ones!"]

The Awakened on the front lines started to raise their heads one by one.

"...."

Even the Awakened who were pushing through the crowd towards the exit slowly turned back.

Ranked 3rd in South Korea.

'Sword Saint' Cheong Siyeol shouted.

["Raise your heads. Straighten your backs. Behind us lies our homeland, your home, your lover, and the sports car you bought on full installment!"]

Faint laughter erupted here and there.

["Let's not give them anything."]

The Awakened raised their weapons.

["They have no right to take away our happiness."]

Mana sparks flew here and there.

I recalled the time when I sat Cheong Siyeol down and taught him how to give speeches.

"Ha."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

To prevent Awakeners from abandoning their posts during emergencies, we had countless discussions with psychologists.

The core of their conclusion was this.

Make them aware of their specialness.

Let them know what they have to lose.

They said it was the best way to get Awakeners, who were soaked in a sense of privilege, to voluntarily step up.

I went along with it because the experts said so, but seeing their changing expressions always made me wonder.

Doesn't everyone, Awakener or not, become stronger when they have something to protect?

My Constellation spoke to me.

【"Stop with the strange thoughts. If it seems like you're going to die in battle, run back to the Tower. I don't want to see your ending yet."】

【"Though I doubt it would come to that, if you die here fighting to protect these people, I'll grab your soul and make sure you don't go to hell."】

"Why are you so sure I'm going to hell?"

【"I like you, but even you have to admit you're not exactly heaven-bound, are you?"】

What do you mean by that?

I'm the one who threaded the camel through the needle's eye.

I didn't bother pointing out my Constellation's prejudice.

Instead, I focused on activating various traits and titles.

【Titles: Sun of Humanity, The First and Greatest Climber, Destroyer of Gates... are being activated.】

【Traits: Demon Slayer, Hot Blood, Embodiment of Fire, Light of Destruction, Radiant Laughter... are being activated.】

My four basic stats, and the invisible stats derived from those four, amplified in various ways.

Then, an unexpected bonus came in.

【Due to the effect of the 'Title: Embodiment of Fire', 10% of your mana will recover every 10 seconds.】

【Due to the effect of the 'Title: Embodiment of Fire', your Mana stat will continuously grow while you remain inside this Gate.】

Huh?

What's this?

【"So this setup is finally paying off."】

【Your Constellation 'Sunny' lets out a hearty laugh.】

What is it?

Please enlighten me too.

【.......】

But my Constellation remained silent.

It wasn't really a situation to focus on conversation anyway.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The demon army had already approached to about 1 km ahead.

The approaching red legion looked like fire set to a black canvas.

At the same time, the 'waiting for release' ended.

A notification window popped up from behind.

【Time until Release: 00 days 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds】

【The Gate is opening.】

【*Monsters inside can now exit the Gate.】

"Exit calmly!"

"Make way on the right! Other Hunters need to come in!"

Tens of thousands of civilians began to exit in order.

Their faces and the faces of the Hunters watching them were overflowing with relief, but the faces of me, Cheong Siyeol, and a few other commander-level Hunters were grim.

It meant those demons could now leave too.

If we were breached, those demons would appear in the middle of Seoul.

Ah.

Gates are such a pain in the ass.

I wish there were more S-Rank Hunters in Korea soon.

Wouldn't it be great if we had more Hunters like Baekya reaching S-Rank?

* * *

'Why did a Rank 1 Gate break out? Why?!'

Lee Eunwoo flew across the Seoul sky in the Iron Blood Legion's helicopter.

It seemed like every helicopter in Korea was out, filling the heart of Seoul with the sound of propellers.

A radio transmission just came in through her headset. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

'Ilha has entered the Gate.'

It was a message from the snipers assigned to Baekya and Wolha.

Lee Eunwoo let out a vulgar curse that didn't match his noble-like face.

Although Baekya had become much stronger, he wasn't yet at a level where he could be active in a Rank 1 Gate.

Moreover, Cheong Siyeol was currently there.

Secretary Kim radioed in.

[Master, what should we do with our Hunters?]

Lee Eunwoo pondered.

Originally, they had expected a Rank 2 Gate to break out, so they had brought Hunters suitable for a Rank 2 raid.

'If we go in like this... there could be more casualties.'

It was a basic principle that the higher the Gate rank, the smaller and more elite the team should be.

'I told them so many times to keep Baekya alive!'

For a moment, he felt a surge of emotion, his vision turning red.

'If only the smart ones would listen. Those ignorant brutes who only know how to fight and that sly bastard with shifty eyes have ruined everything.'

Lee Eunwoo let out a deep sigh.

Baekya was already inside.

"We're going in."

He had to go, if only to prevent Cheong Siyeol from recognizing Baekya and snapping his neck like a beer bottle cap.

He hated the darkness that Lee Baejeong spoke of.

He yearned for a world bathed in the perpetual light of dawn.

2:10 PM, Lee Eunwoo joins the battle.

* * *

【Incineration Ray】

Baekya just incinerated a monster with a beam and thought—

'That bastard has come to kill me for real this time.'

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]