Chapter 153

Chapter 153. The Strongest Hero (3)

****

The Abyss has challenged me to a fight. To be precise, it’s a fragment of the Abyss, one of the many supernatural phenomena that make up the Abyss…

“Alright.”

The sea I’ve been longing for. I still haven’t had a chance to use the Foundation’s high-firepower assets.

A supernatural phenomenon capable of teleportation. There are only one or two in the Seoul Branch. For now, the only one capable of proper teleportation is Cosmos.

There are a few more supernatural phenomena capable of limited teleportation. Dr. Chae, who can send doppelgangers, and Hasti, who opened a dimensional portal.

And…

You’ll see. Right now, escaping is the top priority. I fled from the center of the Abyss, and the serpent began emerging from the pit.

Wait, what?

Jörmungandr, asking to be freed from its seal. It’s moving around just fine. Or was it asking to be released from this subspace?

It’s too late to ask now.

“KEEEEEEEEK!”

Startled, the serpent deity opened its massive mouth and let out a roar. The temperature in the area plummeted, and the subspace, along with the cave, began to shake.

“It’s a bit cold.”

Level 4 mission protection posture—meaning the cold is seeping through even the gas mask. The surrounding temperature must have dropped by dozens of degrees in an instant. Let’s get as far away from the monster as possible.

We need to secure space to summon it.

First, let’s codename the serpent Jörmungandr.

“Codename Jörmungandr. Abilities unknown. It has dragged multiple ships into the subspace and appears to possess significant reality-adjusting abilities.”

[Focus on getting out of the temple first.]

The Crystal Clock said something.

Boom!

Another loud noise.

Jörmungandr slammed its head against the temple wall, and the building began to shake. How long will it take to get out?

No need to go back the way we came.

It took a while to get here, but that’s because we were exploring the underground temple filled with hostile entities. The exit should be reachable soon.

It’s like the difference between playing hide-and-seek at school and jumping out of a window. If I don’t walk down the corridor and just jump out of the building—

The bottom is water, so it might be fine.

Reached the exit. Should I call this a window? Anyway, it’s open to the outside.

I looked down. The area near the temple was partially submerged, and the height was roughly 10 meters. If I jump, will I survive?

One square meter of drag can reduce a person’s falling speed by 20%! Ah, whatever. My legs won’t break, right?

The sound of Jörmungandr’s roar grew louder behind me. I spread my cloak over my head and jumped out of the building.

Splash!

Thinking about it now, swimming with a military backpack was impossible from the start.

I should’ve thrown the bag first. I flailed in the water, hastily shedding my equipment.

Popo.

A few Popo pulled me toward the shore. It was within arm’s reach.

“Ugh.”

Anyway, I survived for now. Not sure if Jörmungandr can come out of the temple, though.

Again, the sound of crumbling rocks.

Jörmungandr, having broken through the temple wall, raised its head.

Tentacles like a lion’s mane adorned the back of its head, massive serpent eyes, and three rows of teeth. I could try shooting it with God-Killing Special Ammunition, but given its size, a machine gun might be necessary.

Consider yourself lucky, worm. If this were the surface, you’d have been hit by a cruise missile and died long ago. You’re only alive because we’re underground.

Over there, I see the shadow of a massive serpent. Bizarre birds adorned with fluorescent colors, as if—

I can’t think of a good analogy. Anyway, the black birds were swarming around Jörmungandr, as if expecting something.

Frost formed around the serpent deity, and thin ice spread across the water.

A black serpent twisting the surrounding reality. It’s a good thing I have a card deck that seems designed to capture it.

I took cover behind a suitable stalagmite, removed my gas mask, and blew a platinum whistle.

A blinding flash of light appeared before me. Clank, clank. The sound of metal clashing.

The radiant light illuminated the darkness of the cave.

The small bioluminescence I had seen earlier now felt like an unpleasant scribble. No, it was completely overshadowed by the overwhelming light.

****

Platinum armor. A red cloak fluttering like angel wings on either side.

A black sword engraved with blue runes was held high toward the sky.

“O God.”

“Grant me the wisdom to discern good from evil.”

“The mercy to protect the good.”

Quite a lot to ask from God.

“And the courage to strike down evil.”

The knight in platinum armor looked down at me meaningfully after those words. The visor was down, so I couldn’t see their face. Wait, hold on.

“Hey, not me, over there.”

Creak. Three seconds that felt like an eternity passed. The sound of armor clanking. The knight moved again. The holy sword’s blade pointed toward Jörmungandr.

“Hero. Engaging in combat.”

Hero, Returnee. Ahn Yuri.

It’s been a long time since she was secured by the Foundation, but now Ahn Yuri’s story has finally reached a stable phase.

“Vermin.”

What’s the standard, that worm? The hero is vermin, and I’m the master of the imprisoned Pantheon?

I’ve summoned the Pokémon, so let’s create some distance from the monster and think. The hero, holding the holy sword, slowly walked toward the beast.

“KEEEEEEK!”

Jörmungandr charged at the hero. Around the hero, the trajectory of the sword created radiant patterns that scattered like pollen in all directions—

“Halt.”

The sword energy clashed with Jörmungandr’s head, shattering in all directions. It was like a large truck crashing into a glass building.

Clang! The holy sword struck Jörmungandr’s head. Jörmungandr was clearly a monster larger than a bus, but even it couldn’t recklessly approach the fully armed hero.

Frost continued to spread around Jörmungandr, but Ahn Yuri paid no heed. The ancient deity’s blood slowly spread through the transparent cave water.

Staring at it for too long gives me a headache.

Jörmungandr’s heartbeat echoed throughout the subspace. Jörmungandr’s dreams painted the temple murals, and its breath became the wind within this subspace…

As expected, a cognitive disaster.

Boom!

The hero moved like lightning.

The holy sword’s trajectory became a harpoon piercing the serpent, a net binding it, and a wall blocking its movements.

Light gathered at the tip of the holy sword…

“Erasing Darkness.”

Boom! Another flash erupted, and Jörmungandr was pushed back by the explosion. I don’t know much, but it seems Jörmungandr is at a disadvantage.

[You’re not fighting?]

“I summoned her so I wouldn’t have to.”

There are many ways to fight. Anti-tank rockets, explosives, Niguras-5, or a heavy sniper rifle.

But now that I’ve summoned the hero, it doesn’t seem necessary. It looks like we might win?

“Vermin. I have existed since before you broke the first stone, before you lit the first torch, before a single blade of grass grew in Lemuria!”

The area around Jörmungandr began to distort.

That’s a lot of words.

Explosions, sword energy, the sound of rocks breaking.

Just a few minutes ago, I was fighting an incomprehensible monster in a dark, unpleasant cave, battling an indescribable ancient terror.

****

“I am the hero.”

Ahn Yuri murmured softly.

“Even if I lose everything. Even if I can’t see or hear anything. To protect even a single person.”

Ahn Yuri recited a bit of the hero’s prayer.

Striking down evil. What is evil? The fragments of foreign gods ruling this country from the shadows, committing any atrocity for their goals?

Let’s rely on common sense for now.

We’ll think about the rest later. A giant serpent that eats people. That’s definitely evil.

Since I don’t know anything, I have no choice but to trust Dr. Kim’s words entirely.

Weakness. Aim for the weakness.

If I don’t unleash the sword energy properly, I can’t even see the enemy’s form due to the black fog. If I don’t take out a loan, I can’t even take a step.

Another explosion.

Boom! With a loud noise, the sword’s tip grazed the serpent’s body. Once again, the ancient deity’s blood stained the sword and followed its trajectory.

Slow but effective hits are landing. If we keep this up, we might win.

But where did Dr. Kim go?

The sound of falling rocks. Ahn Yuri dashed to one side to dodge, and Jörmungandr’s head brushed past her.

Every time the monster got close, a chilling cold spread like opening a refrigerator door.

Ugh, unpleasant. Ahn Yuri kicked the monster’s body uncomfortably close.

Despite all that.

Ahn Yuri felt alive for the first time in a long while.

A legendary monster standing before the hero.

Behind her, someone to protect… A princess?

The holy sword in hand, the fluttering cloak behind her, and the platinum armor enveloping her entire body. Just like before returning to this world.

The giant serpent, Jörmungandr, raised its head and looked down at the hero. Ahn Yuri could see herself reflected in its grotesque eyes—the proud knight.

The tip of the holy sword once again pointed toward evil.