[Please brief your respective locations.]
[I've just arrived! I'm in front of Exit 2 at Gwanghwamun Station. All the emergency personnel are gathered here. I'll help the injured here before moving on.]
[This is the Special Operations Unit. We are currently located behind the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. There are 15 identified monsters here. The Roheon Guild Support Team is also located here.]
[What's the damage looking like?]
[Not good. Most of the citizens are already dead.]
[Physical Support Team.]
[This is the Physical Support Team. We are currently in the alleyway of the Ilmin Art Gallery. We've identified five monsters. Cleanup nearly complete.]
[Master, the poisonous liquid is spreading! It is located in front of the statue and to the north!]
[Secretary Woo Seo-hyeok, head north towards the statue…]
"I'll go."
I responded to Cheon Sa-yeon's voice coming from the other side of the ear-piece, increasing the intensity of my wind. From above, I emerged from the tall buildings. There, the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin appeared, opposite of it were countless monsters.
Cursing to myself, I picked up speed and flew towards the statue. Just as Park Geon-ho had described, a black, bat-like monster was there, flapping its wings and spewing a thick, black liquid.
"Ugh! Aaaahh!"
A man, pale in the face, tried to flee, but touched the liquid before I could use my ability to save him and instantly melted. The burning sound that followed, came along with a horrifying, nauseating stench that filled the air.
Biting down hard on my tongue to steady my fading consciousness, I quickly grabbed the arm of the young child standing next to the dead man and pulled us high up off the ground. Waves of black smoke surged from where the child had just stood, burning the ground.
A cold sweat ran down my face as the thought that if I had been just a little bit later, the child in my arms would have died just like that man, leaving not even a corpse behind.
"Talented Han Yi-gyeol!"
Alice flew in from behind, fluttering her pure white wings. I handed the child, who looked too frightened to cry, to her and said,
"Please take him to Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station. I'll hold them off here."
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
"The support team will be here soon, I'll be fine. Please go."
Alice was the only one who could move as quickly as I could. It might have been difficult to hold an adult, but she could easily carry a small child. Knowing this, Alice couldn't refuse and left, holding the child in her arms.
With the child I saved gone, no one remained before the statue. Staring down at the monster continuously spewing its potent, corrosive liquid—capable of instantly dissolving ordinary people—I thrust my right arm forward.
Dark Hyper. One of the dangerous monsters Alice had warned us about. These were creatures that were supposed to be inside the Australia Gate, but they appeared right in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square.
Flying monsters that soared through the sky, monsters that crawled underground and caused earthquakes, and monsters that ran through the streets and devoured people—these were all creatures that could not be seen in this area.
Woosh! A powerful gust of wind blasted from my outstretched hand. Han Yi-gyeol's energy flowed endlessly, sharpening the wind.
The wind coiled around the bodies of ten Dark Hypers. As I turned my wrist, the wind transformed into dozens of blades, tearing the Dark Hypers' entire bodies apart.
Keeeek!
While I did this, the Dark Hypers which were torn to shreds, let out a final howl and fell to the ground. Even as they died, they gushed poisonous liquid from their bodies, polluting the surrounding area.
Having dealt with all Dark Hypers that I could see, I then used the wind to gather the widely spread liquid. The black liquid, which could have killed dozens of people, gathered in the air, forming a large sphere.
"Han Yi-Gyeol."
Just then, Cheon Sa-yeon arrived, and a fiery blast of heat surged from his sword. He swung his sword at the poisonous liquid. The liquid, unable to withstand Cheon Sa-yeon's powerful aura and heat, evaporated.
Gurgle, gurgle!
As soon as I safely gathered the poisonous liquid, one of the flying monsters hovering in the sky swiftly descended towards me. Because I was focusing all my energy on holding the liquid together, I belatedly spotted the monster and twisted my body to avoid it.
Bang!
"...!"
With a deafening gunshot, the monster's head, which had gaped open at me, exploded and fell to the floor. Turning my gaze toward where the sound of the gunshot came from, I saw Lee Ju-ha walking towards me, her jet-black hair fluttering and Ha Tae-heon standing at her side.
Lee Ju-ha, who walked towards Cheon Sa-yeon with long strides, holding a gun in each hand, opened her mouth.
"A mobile unit dispatched from the guild management headquarters is controlling the entire Gwanghwamun area. Most of the citizens have been evacuated, and the number of monsters is rapidly decreasing. And one of our guild members, while conducting scout duty, discovered this..."
As Lee Ju-ha explained and nodded at Ha Tae-heon, he tossed something he was holding onto the floor. I came down to Cheon Sa-yeon's side to also see what Ha Tae-heon had thrown onto the floor.
"They were installed all over the place."
"It's an item."
It was an object inlaid with a ruby-like gem. It looked like it was designed to be installed on a wall, like a CCTV camera.
"I guess this is the transportation item that summoned the monsters here."
I lightly kicked the item with the tip of my shoe, and shards of the broken jewel fell out. Perhaps it was the Roheon guild member who first discovered it, or Ha Tae-heon, who'd broken it.
I turned on my ear-piece microphone and relayed this information to everyone.
"Monster summoning items are installed throughout the area. They're fist-sized, with red jewels attached, and are likely installed on walls. Relay this to your respective teams and have them dispose of these items immediately upon discovery."
[Copy that.]
[Got it.]
[Roger.][1]
Right after Park Geon-ho's playful reply, Min Ah-rin's voice came through.
[The injured which are in critical condition have been treated to some extent. I'll head over soon.]
[I'll be right there.]
Just as I was about to voice my opinion, thinking it would be better to spread out and find the remaining monsters scattered elsewhere since I'd already dealt with all the Dark Hypers gathered in front of the statue—
A strange, yet familiar, energy prickled against my back. The odd, eerie sensation made me reflexively turn around. Immediately after I turned, Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon also raised their heads and looked behind me.
Despite the sheer distance, I felt as if I could hear the sound of heels on the floor. Amidst the gray smoke rising from the ruins, the ash blowing in the wind, and the crimson blood spattered across the floor, a strange white color struck my eyes.
"That person…"
Lee Ju-ha also stared at the same spot, eyes widened. A chill ran through my entire body as a mask emerged from the swirling smoke.
"Step back."
Cheon Sa-yeon shielded me from behind and took out Lilith's Sword instead of his S-class sword.
"Hmm, what a mess. It'll take some time to sort this out, right?"
The man standing before the statue spoke in a light voice, flicking a piece of a Dark Hyper's corpse lying on the floor with the tip of his shoe. Behind him stood a woman with lavender hair and a group of black-masked figures crowded together.
"Hello, little brother. Long time no see."
Black hair, revealed over the white mask, gently swayed in the wind. Cheon Sa-yeon, who had heard the greeting, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly without replying.
I bit my lip and glanced at Cheon Sa-yeon. I was even more worried because I couldn't see the state Cheon Sa-yeon was in from behind. Now I knew what kind of face was hiding behind that mask.
'I never thought Samael would come in person…'
This was the first time he had appeared since the raid on the management headquarters.
Samael looked around, putting his hands in his pants pockets, paying no mind to Cheon Sa-yeon's silence.
"How do you like the gift I prepared? I put some effort into it, so I'm curious to hear what you think."
"…Not as good as the last time. Seems your touch has gone a bit stale."
"Last time? Are you talking about before you died, or the current timeline?"
Samael mocked Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been robbed of his time by Kali. Then, with one gesture of his hand, the Praus cult members who stood behind him, lifted a black case. Simultaneously, my team members, along with the Requiem and Roheon guild members who had heard my order, rushed into the square.
"Yi-gyeol ssi!"
"Han Yi-gyeol!"
With Min Ah-rin leading the charge, Kim Woo-jin, Park Geon-ho, Woo Seo-hyuk, and Kwon Jeong-han followed behind. Seeing Alice among them as well, I realized my mistake too late.
Samael was an SS-rank, so everyone here, except me, Cheon Sa-yeon, and Ha Tae-heon, could be mentally controlled. I could use my intervention ability to break the control, but doing so would reveal Kwon Se-hyun's true form to Samael.
"Wait a minute, if you come over here…!"
"It's okay, Han Yi-gyeol."
As I was about to hurriedly dismiss the others, my shoulders flinched at the soft voice I heard. At first, I thought it was Cheon Sa-yeon speaking.
The unnatural similarity in his voice and the way he naturally addressed my name sent shivers down my spine. Samael, who spoke to me as if we were old friends, tilted his head slightly.
"I understand what you're worried about, but I don't plan on doing that."
"…What?"
"Everyone coming together to fight. Isn't that great? It's an equal opportunity in which everyone can show off what they've prepared."
His shrug and his words felt surprisingly sincere. But before I could react, the case the believers were holding opened.
Four cases opened following the first. Inside each black case lay red jewels. Knowing what they were, I knew something bad was bound to happen, so I shouted.
"Wait…!"
"Try stopping this, Han Yi-gyeol."
All the red gems floated out from the cases, into the air. Then, the ten bright red gems flashed, and an oval-shaped portal appeared in the sky.
Krrrr, keeek! keeek!
From the portal, which very closely resembled a gate, new monsters began pouring out with sharp cries. Countless flying monsters soared high into the sky, while giant monsters charged forward madly.
[1] Any and all bolded words are said in English