Chapter 106 – Each of Their Purposes (4)
“The number of cities that are losing contact is increasing. And I don’t think we can hold out here either.”
“Are we just going to wait to die? You know what kind of monsters they are. They are the ones who will devour this entire world. We have no choices left.”
Dark shook his head with a wry smile.
Even now, people were scrambling to gather in this eastern region.
But if anyone had experienced it even once, it was hard to have any hope.
The plan to draw in the hybrids and provoke a fight seemed to have succeeded to some extent, but it only bought them a little time.
“Then how on earth are we supposed to fight and win against those things…!”
Elder Academy President Seidel shouted, feeling as if he were bleeding from the heart, but Dark did not open his mouth.
In truth, their organization was on the verge of complete breakdown.
The Continental Congress had essentially disbanded, and many had fled with those who followed them to survive.
Austin was one of them.
’Fight and win?’
Dark let out a hollow sigh at Seidel’s words. No matter how he thought about it, winning through fighting was impossible.
The irrationality of the enemies he thought of actually had started as a mere mass of cells, crawling up from the lowest depths of the labyrinth, achieving miraculous growth.
The result was pouring out explosively, rendering any expectation pointless.
“My Player, the princess of the great clan, Esili.”
The lone Dark murmured blankly to the air.
“We lost.”
He saw something rapidly approaching this place from the sky.
The moment he saw its identity, he felt defeat.
He had also strived for growth and evolution all this time, but the insane growth rate of the opponent was close to an authority that was fundamentally unattainable.
At that great distance where no magic could reach, someone was aiming a gigantic magic circle toward this place.
The instant the flash fired from that magic circle collided with the city’s defensive wall.
The entire city shook, the defensive wall shattered, and the hundreds of unlucky people directly exposed to the blast were blown apart, spewing blood.
“I can see it. Their panic, their pain, their anger… it’s so beautiful.”
Reina, who lowered her staff alongside the other high-class mages who cast magic together, murmured, not hiding her rapture behind her half-removed mask.
Then, she gently caressed the shell of the creature floating beside her. Inside that shell was a brain.
“Rozina, don’t you think so too?”
The identity of that creature was a brain that had been assisted by tentacles connected to her spine to maximize computing ability. Its appearance was no different than before.
The only difference was that the contents of that brain were once the brain of a woman who had been the Academy President of Clawclaw Academy.
Of course, most of its self had collapsed during the process of removing the brain alive and combining it with the legion, but Reina valued this brain highly.
“Since the main force hasn’t arrived yet, it’s impossible for us to annihilate everyone by ourselves.”
“I know. Dark, I can see him.”
Reina, dismissively glancing at Kang Do-yeon, pointed toward Dark with her hand.
They looked to the sky. The sun had already set, disappearing.
Dark and his clan had already obtained the information that their power increased without the sun.
But neither Reina, Kang Do-yeon, nor Eve cared much about that.
“With the power of hybrids absorbed, do you think we will lose to those fools?”
Reina smiled, stroking her chest. She had already reinforced her body with the newly acquired power.
This was the power of those who had triumphed over mages.
In other words, it meant there was absolutely no way they could lose.
“…It’s best not to let your guard down. I’ll go first.”
Kang Do-yeon spread her wings and flew toward the city that had been partially destroyed by Reina’s bombardment.
Occasionally, stray attacks came her way, but they were weak and inaccurate, not worth dodging.
“I won’t say much.”
The place Kang Do-yeon headed for was, of course, the leader of the enemies, the most powerful being presumed.
Unlike others who fled, Dark stood still to face her and began to draw on his magical power.
[This is an order to flee immediately!]
“What foolish words.”
Hearing the voice ringing in his mind, he scoffed. Since fleeing here, he had rejected all commands from the player.
Even the order to flee immediately. The order to open a gate to this location by calling for coordinates.
“The monsters must have also obtained technology related to gates, and once they successfully connect, that will become a guide. Do you think your world can overcome these dreadful monsters? Are you planning to offer all your clan as food for them? No, do not involve yourself with them. Tell your clan not to get involved either.”
Laughing madly, he raised the staff in his hand and channeled magic power.
“As a princess, act like one. Sacrifice yourself for your clan! With me, and along with your kin!”
And with his last words, he unleashed that magic power toward Kang Do-yeon.
A strike that exploded the entire area, buildings included, sending everything flying.
Kang Do-yeon crossed her wings to withstand the shock. Having already acquired the defense against Formancy from the hybrids, she even absorbed some of his magic power.
At the same time, she kicked off the ground, rushing toward him. He charged at her in turn.
‘This is merely a last-ditch effort to squeeze out all my power. Just trample him down.’
Eve read his intent through the eyes of Kang Do-yeon.
“Flowing blood is the sword.”
His body was deeply slashed, blood splattering, but as he swung that blood, it turned into blades that struck Kang Do-yeon.
She blocked it with her arm, but flinched at the remaining deep scar that penetrated her armor.
“The sun has vanished, and the magic of blood has grown stronger.”
A powerful shockwave erupted from the magic he cast, pushing Kang Do-yeon away. The sun had completely disappeared.
“I will never die.”
‘Liar. But I acknowledge it; unlike your words, you are indeed fighting with the resolve to face death.’
Eve laughed at his words.
Recognizing that the opponent’s power was at a certain level above, Kang Do-yeon’s momentum drastically shifted.
“…A sword?”
A higher being that had fought alongside others flew across the sky, handing something to Kang Do-yeon.
It was a sword, but it was too large to be called a simple sword.
Its blade width was larger than an adult’s palm, and its length exceeded Kang Do-yeon’s height. It was close to a taichi that surpassed a great sword.
Most importantly, it was made entirely of one gleaming red ore.
“What the hell…”
As Kang Do-yeon raised the sword and resonated tremendous energy, pouring it into the sky, Dark, who unconsciously hesitated, looked up and stared at it.
‘Unfortunately, it seems capturing it is absolutely impossible, so just kill it.’
At the same time, the massive sword swung down. In that moment, everyone at the scene had no choice but to pay attention.
A vast storm erupted, brilliantly illuminating the darkening area as it swept over and obliterated a part of the city.
*
“This dreadful disaster must disappear someday.”
“Sir, it seems the chairman has died. The city has collapsed due to just a few dozen monsters…”
Austin, gazing at the dark night sky over the horizon, heaved a sigh.
At the same time, news arrived that humanity’s last bastion, barely holding together through communication channels, had also fallen.
Austin clenched his eyes shut.
There were no more methods left. The congress, the academy, everything had completely disintegrated, and there were no resources to mobilize.
“Command everyone to hide and prepare to flee. We are now like a candle in the wind; life and death are out of our control. Can we overcome a natural disaster? We can only wait and hope it passes by.”
Leading a small group about the size of a small town, Austin had practically given up on resistance.
Amid the realization that their lives depended not on themselves but on others, deep despair spread among the people.
“This… this can’t be. It can’t be…”
Among those people was Rozes, who had betrayed Dark and secretly followed Austin.
Hooded by an old cloak, she dashed through the dark streets of the refugee village.
With Dark and his forces utterly destroyed and disbanded, she no longer had any authority or power to protect her.
“Our Supreme Commander has made a significant decision,” they had said.
“I understand! What exactly must I do? What must I do to have reinforcements sent!?”
Entering a nearby forest devoid of people, she screamed.
On the screen she was viewing, her unit, the Kobold Chieftain, was meeting with the king of the Nols, with whom they had maintained an alliance.
“It’s simple. Take this as a sacrifice and keep it.”
The king of the Nols delivered a strangely shaped device to the Kobold Chieftain.
“Then the proud fleet of the Supreme Commander will go there and eliminate all the monsters.”
The Kobold Chieftain offered the device as a sacrifice, which was then transmitted to his immediate view through the crystal he held.
‘The Rebel Alliance…’
Rozes, with trembling hands, lifted it and hid it in her bosom.
