Chapter 87: Chaos and Hero (5)
“Ugh…”
Chae Yeon, at the forefront, bit her lip. She instinctively sensed that the storm now approaching would be rougher and more challenging than the previous blow.
“The ground…”
“The ground is shaking!”
The allied forces, caught unprepared for this situation, fell into a panic.
Their initially assumed enemies were Nol and Kobolds.
People who had no understanding of what the demonic realm was or its history could not have anticipated such a scenario.
“Hold on tight!”
[The player has activated their abilities. Sacrifice something to gain power and fight.]
With an earthquake-like tremor, the ground beneath Chae Yeon and Chris’s vehicle suddenly exploded.
As Chae Yeon was thrown into the air, she drew a dagger from her possession and slashed with it.
One of the functions of the player she had frequently used in the early stages. Receiving blood, her power was amplified.
“Ugh…”
Ignoring Chris, who was falling to the ground, she charged upwards, surrounded by electrical energy, smashing the vehicle as she flew into the air.
With her blue eyes gleaming, she sent a powerful lightning strike towards the monster that emerged from the ground.
An ancient creature that had lived underground, now springing from the earth alongside the Demonic Earth Puppies, ambushed the main force.
The monster, hit by her lightning, twisted its body, opening a mouth that could swallow a massive tank or self-propelled artillery in a single gulp, and roared ferociously.
‘Is it possible?’
Chae Yeon broke into a cold sweat. Those dense, massive teeth.
She couldn’t guarantee that even at maximum output, she could handle this opponent.
[Use it. The player has decided to conserve their Execution Authority.]
“Ugh…”
Barely dodging its maw, she glanced at the potion bottle she held. Chris, fighting on the ground, was in the same situation.
The potion she had received as a gift before—one that temporarily maximizes her string.
She gulped it down in one go.
[The essence of Celestial Soul is your soul. And now your soul is strongly connected with your 121 comrades. That is your strength, so fight.]
Stumbling for a moment, she suddenly opened her eyes, now glowing with electric energy.
And she unleashed a storm of electric currents that roared around her.
A massive discharge of electricity split into thousands of branches, piercing through the air and ground. Hundreds of enemies, regardless of their size, were electrocuted, exploding and burning to death.
From the ground, Chris, empowered by her abilities, caused an earthquake that shook the earth, toppling and crushing the enemies who had survived her assault.
[Just be careful. It can grant immense power, but in the end, the connected souls become one entity, losing their individuality.]
[Of course, that is not a consideration now.]
[Enemies remain.]
In the minds of Chae Yeon and Chris, who were losing consciousness, they heard a string of hollow voices they could not comprehend.
Though the death worm’s outer shell was partially shattered and it was leaking bodily fluids, it had survived the lightning storm and earthquake.
The death worm opened its mouth again, lunging toward Chae Yeon.
“Pull yourself together.”
At that moment, a red flame erupted.
The massive neck of the death worm slowly fell to the ground, as Ji Chang-hyun, who had delivered the fatal blow, disregarded the lightning and pulled Chae Yeon back to the ground.
“People need you.”
“Just… let go of my hand, I’ve come to my senses.”
Ji Chang-hyun shook her by the collar until she regained her focus. Once the connection was severed, she gasped for breath and pushed his hand away.
“You’re strong. Thanks to you two, we’ve avoided the worst.”
“…Honestly, I never want to go through this again.”
Though she was unaware of the truth behind the soul resonance, she knew it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
“But we must keep fighting.”
Ji Chang-hyun stepped forward armed with his sword. The death worm was dead, but something stronger and faster landed before them.
“Let there be death to humans!”
The Lord of Beasts, Gar, roared in a language that humans could not understand, swinging the spear in his hand, unleashing a tide of monsters upon them.
The main force, already fragmented by the sudden underground ambush, could not offer any effective resistance amidst the bombardment.
“You seem the strongest.”
“…Are you a unit?”
Ji Chang-hyun and Gar faced off.
Neither could understand the other’s words; they only felt the murderous intent directed at one another.
“The hero of the demonic realm…”
Gar charged off the ground, attempting to swing a spear imbued with magical energy at Ji Chang-hyun.
However, the spear did not even reach the tips of his sword as he attempted to defend himself.
Gar crashed into the ground, landing face-first and rolling across the floor. He lay still without a move.
“Could it be…”
“The player has used it. Execution Authority.”
Chris, supporting Chae Yeon, chuckled lightly.
Ji Chang-hyun, who had been startled while trying to swing his sword, also widened his eyes, staring at the lifeless body of Gar only a moment later.
But he quickly regained his composure and looked around.
“It’s not over yet. We need to hurry and save the people…”
“Watch out!”
As Ji Chang-hyun turned to move again, Chae Yeon, pale with fear, shot a lightning bolt towards the back.
“Ha… ha… Let there be glory in the demonic realm.”
The white beak clacked, and the lights of its skull glowed menacingly.
Gar, now risen as a white skeleton, once again raised his spear, swinging it toward Ji Chang-hyun.
*
“Hey, this is bad. This is the real deal this time.”
Robert muttered blankly.
Even a veteran mercenary who had been through thick and thin could not provide an answer in the current dire situation.
The formation had collapsed. The trio of Chae Yeon, Chris, and Ji Chang-hyun, who had held their ground, was now in disarray.
The demonic beings pouring in now were solely in a charge. Monsters leaping through the hail of bullets became a terror in itself, dampening the morale of the soldiers and coloring them with despair.
I had witnessed such scenes several times before.
If one were to view the legion from the enemies’ perspective, it might feel similar to this.
“Ugh… Retreat! Retreat!!”
An urgent retreat order echoed through the radio, leaving us wondering if it was delivered correctly.
But with the enemy already upon them, there could be no orderly retreat. They could only run away.
In the chaos, I took a picture with my phone of a monstrosity attacking a machine gunner. The number of remaining specimens was now nine.
With no sign of leveling up, there remained only nine chances.
“Get in! Let’s get out of here!”
Robert pulled on my arm as he fired. The command structure had completely disintegrated. Soldiers from the allied forces, including ourselves, were breaking ranks and fleeing.
Gasping for breath, I looked back. Vehicles heading in the same direction as us were hardly thirty in number.
It was a rout, no, an annihilation.
I had experienced an annihilation I had only heard about from the other side. No, more importantly, what kind of means did the beings of the demonic realm, who had behaved like ordinary flora and fauna until now, use to attack us?
“There’s a canyon up ahead. We can take cover there and head back to the base.”
Robert, gripping the radio, communicated directions with others.
The destination was the narrow canyon comprised of striking rock formations just ahead.
[Can we escape?]
But I looked through the sunroof at the sky.
The sky was already the territory of those monsters. I didn’t know if there were any allied reconnaissance planes, but it was certain that we couldn’t escape their eyes.
“Damn it… those bastards are chasing us!”
“Let’s head for the canyon. We need to defend ourselves or whatever inside. We can’t win out in the open!”
Robert barked, irritated by Cox’s outcry. It seemed the panic had rendered the higher-ups of the allied forces paralyzed, as allied vehicles were trailing behind us in retreat.
“What now? We can’t hold them off for long!”
“Why are you asking me?! I’m just a PMC!”
Even after reaching the canyon, there was no brilliant plan.
We successfully repelled the pursuing creatures by pouring all our firepower through the narrow entrance. But that wouldn’t last long. When the main force of the enemy arrived, we would ultimately be caught.
Neither the allied officers nor Robert had any answers now.
“Antonif, what’s that?”
“Take a look, Shin Woo.”
While the anxious voices of the people rose, I approached researcher Antonif, who was investigating the canyon.
“It looks like a stone tablet…”
“Indeed. Look at the uniformity of this wall. It’s clear there were ruins here. I’m quite excited right now. These must be artifacts. Just think about it, Shin Woo. This was once a world where someone lived. Even the demons must have lived in groups.”
He and his colleagues cautiously gathered the stone tablets, investigating, photographing, and collecting data. They loaded the treasures into the vehicle with care.
“These are clues. If we study these, we can learn about this place, which we thought was merely a dreadful nest of monsters, in detail. That way, events like today won’t happen again.”
He was looking to the future even in this situation. In a scenario where death could arrive at any moment, he only hoped for success and victory. After all, they were people who volunteered for such a purpose.
But for that foresight to have meaning, they had to overcome the crisis they were currently facing.
To survive here was to ensure tomorrow.
Therefore, I resolved to take action here.
“Everyone, get in the vehicles right now.”
“…What?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I quietly approached those still seething with anger to convey my intentions.
Understandably, they reacted with disbelief.
“I will hold them off. In the meantime, escape through the canyon and return to the base.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Robert shook his finger at his temple.
There was nothing particular I could say to that. I drew my sword and headed toward the entrance of the canyon.
“I acknowledge your skills! That swordsmanship of yours has really made you stronger! But…”
“Leave all the explosives and ammo behind.”
The ammunition truck that had come along could serve as a good excuse for me not to explain my intentions.
Of course, what I was planning wasn’t to use explosives to collapse the canyon when they came, but to rely on the only shot I had available right now.
[The legion is waiting for you. They wish to be with you.]
A hazy figure emerged from the dust approaching this place, overlapping with faint letters.
