Chapter 238

'What happened to him?' Since then, the Shadow Monarch had not shown himself. When the Dragon Emperor had used his spiritual sense to reveal his presence in front of him, the Dragon Emperor had considered it a declaration of war from the Shadow Monarch. So, for the first time in a long while—the Dragon Emperor's heart, which had cooled while wandering through the gaps between dimensions, began to beat hotly again. One of the few enemies capable of threatening his life had bared its fangs at him. A real war was approaching. For the 'Lord of Destruction', a war where their madness intertwined was a gift. What could compare to this joy? However, what he expected did not happen. The Shadow Monarch, who had vanished without a trace, did not appear even when an entire nation of his kind was completely annihilated. Of course, blocking the ten million-strong army of the Chaos World with just over a hundred thousand soldiers was tantamount to suicide. But if he intended to flee in the first place, he would not have taken the risk of revealing his position just to issue a threat.

'...What is he aiming for?' As time passed, the Dragon Emperor grew increasingly anxious. Since he did not know when or where the Shadow Monarch's attack would begin, he had no choice but to move his troops more cautiously. The slowing of their advance was inevitable. This was quite irritating for the Dragon Emperor, who wanted to remove the thorn in his side as quickly as possible and prepare for the fight against the Rulers. Perhaps.

'Does he intend to turn them all into shadow soldiers after his kin are wiped out?' But the Dragon Emperor knew that humans who could not even handle mana would not be much help against the Legion of Destruction even if they were made into soldiers. At that moment, a voice interrupted the Dragon Emperor's thoughts.

"Humans are approaching, My Lord."

One of the ancient dragons escorting him reported the human attack. The Dragon Emperor had thought that all humans capable of handling mana—'Hunters'—had been eliminated from this country. With a puzzled expression, the Dragon Emperor raised his head, and countless missiles rained down from the sky. Kugugugugugugugung—! The desperate struggle of weak creatures, so pitiful to watch. Humans knew that their weapons, which had no mana, could not even touch a hair on the Legion's head, but they refused to give up no matter how many times they failed.

'...How boring.' The Dragon Emperor's eyebrows twitched. Impatience turned to irritation, irritation to anger.

[You, stay back.]

Giving orders to his soldiers, the Dragon Emperor revealed his true form for the first time since setting foot on this land. The pilots, who had risked their lives to delay the monsters, were left speechless at the sight of the enormous catastrophe that blotted out their vision in an instant.

"Mother..."

The pilots' shock lasted only a moment. Soon, the breath of annihilation spewed straight from the catastrophe's mouth swallowed all the fighter jets. Kwaaah—! Only one minute. Their lives were not extended even a minute, and they vanished without a trace. But the Dragon Emperor, unsatisfied with their sacrifice, raised his head to the sky and let out a terrible roar. Kraaaaaah—! It was a declaration of war to the Shadow Monarch.

* * * Jin-Woo also heard the roar. He slightly opened his eyes, which he had closed to gather his thoughts.

'...It's time.' Opening his eyes, the interior of the quarters Ber had created came into view. In the unnecessarily large room, darkness and silence had descended. Perhaps because it was similar to moments of rest? Jin-Woo did not dislike the darkness and silence experienced in this desolate space. Now feeling a bit sorry for having scolded Ber upon seeing this white chamber, Jin-Woo quietly called out to him.

"Ber, thank you."

Ber, who had been quietly waiting within Jin-Woo's shadow, peeked his head out from the darkness.

"My King..." "I know."

Jin-Woo cut off what Ber was about to say in advance. From beside him, Bellion silently rose.

"It's too dangerous, My Lord."

Then, as if waiting for this, Igrit also stepped forward and knelt, bowing his head.

"I share the same thought, My Lord."

All three legion commanders opposed Jin-Woo's plan. Jin-Woo looked at them. Shadow soldiers do not die unless their monarch's life is severed. Their concern was solely for their lord's safety. However, there are moments when one must act despite knowing the danger. For Jin-Woo, this was one of those moments.

"Ashborn... the former Shadow Monarch said he liked that about me."

The way he looked somewhat cold yet would still charge into reckless situations head-on. Jin-Woo continued.

"If he were in my situation, what would he have done?" "..."

Bellion, recalling the deeds of the former Shadow Monarch, could not bring himself to answer. When all the fragments of light had risen in rebellion to slay the supreme being, it was Ashborn, the former Shadow Monarch, who had tried to stop them alone. He would not stop doing what he had to do in any situation. Reaching this realization, Bellion raised his bowed head. Jin-Woo was smiling.

'He resembles... him.' Ashborn's face overlapped with Jin-Woo's. Indeed. Bowing his head once more, Bellion made a sincere vow to Jin-Woo.

"I will be with you until the end."

The other legion commanders seemed to share the same thought, as no further objections were raised. Good.

"You should have said so earlier."

Jin-Woo smiled. Now truly feeling that time was running short, Jin-Woo took out the phone he had kept in his pocket. This was probably the last chance to contact his family.

'...' But in the end, he could not press the call button. He felt that if he heard the voices of his loved ones, he would not be able to go further from here. That was the feeling. Crack. The phone shattered in Jin-Woo's hand and fell. Hearing their voices could be postponed until after this fight was over. Once again steeling his resolve, Jin-Woo opened his secondary storage and gripped 'Kamish's Wrath' in his hands. Then, he tore the T-shirt he was wearing into long strips and wrapped them around the hand holding the dagger. This was to prevent the dagger from slipping from his hand, but it was also an action to boost his morale. The strips made from the torn T-shirt firmly secured the daggers to both hands. The exposed, solid muscles of his upper body moved like living things as he inhaled and exhaled.

'Good.' The pre-battle excitement quietly settled on his shoulders. His heart beat lightly. This excitement that spread through his entire body just before entering a Dungeon was something Jin-Woo always liked. Both body and mind were ready. Letting out a short breath, a chilling light flashed in Jin-Woo's eyes. The plan he had simulated in his mind multiple times flashed through his brain once again. There could be no mistakes. As the weight of his resolve appeared on his hardened face, the legion commanders who read his fighting spirit nodded. Jin-Woo spoke firmly.

"Let's begin."

* * * Korean Hunter's Association Chairman's Office. Woo Jin-Cheol remembered something his grandfather once said. To understand the severity of an event, watch the news anchor's expression. His grandfather, who had personally experienced the wars and disasters that had struck Korea in the past, had sat young Woo Jin-Cheol on his lap and said this: -If the anchor's face is bright, it's nothing to worry about. If the anchor's face is dark, you need to be a little careful. But the moment you really need to fear is...

Woo Jin-Cheol, observing the female anchor's face, muttered unconsciously.

"When the anchor tries to maintain a calm expression."

When something truly dangerous happens, news anchors try to maintain as much composure as possible to prevent viewers from panicking. His grandfather always said that you must never miss the moment when that determination shows. The anchor on TV, just as his grandfather said, was delivering the news about what was happening in the United States with a calm face and voice.

[...After contact was lost with the Hunters who had gone to stop them, the US government urgently dispatched military units to buy time for citizens to evacuate...]

Woo Jin-Cheol closed his eyes tightly. He could not bear to continue watching the tragedy unfolding on the other side of the planet. Through Jin-Woo's memories, he had seen the true scale of the enemy. Without a doubt, it was an unstoppable catastrophe. The United States, which had possessed the strongest combat power, was being devastated by those monsters. The only thing humanity could do now was pray for a miracle. However, what kind of miracle could stop them? Woo Jin-Cheol shook his head, trying to shake off the increasingly ominous chain of thoughts. A miracle.

'Come to think of it...' Contact with Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had been lost for three days now. Woo Jin-Cheol had seen Jin-Woo's ability to create dozens of Gates when they gathered representatives from various countries. Hunter Sung Jin-Woo could flee to another world if he so wished. Perhaps he had already evacuated to a safe place. Even if that were true, who could blame that choice? Facing ten million soldiers born for destruction alone, or fleeing to a place beyond their reach. Woo Jin-Cheol could not honestly guarantee that he would choose the former if given the choice. Therefore, all he could do now was pray.

"Please, don't abandon us..."

Woo Jin-Cheol looked up at the ceiling of the chairman's office, where no answer would come, and said.

"...do not abandon us."

But just then.

"...?"

Woo Jin-Cheol's startled gaze fixed on the TV. An earthquake was happening in his pupils.

* * * "Uaaah!"

Even the undefeated strongest US Air Force was no different from the Canadian army in the face of the Legion's power. Bang! The pilot of the damaged fighter jet hastily attempted an emergency ejection. Witnessing his comrades being annihilated in an instant as he fell, he let out a desperate scream.

"No!"

Bang, boom, bang! Explosions and flashes erupted everywhere. Even in the midst of such chaos that it made his head spin, he called out the names of his dying comrades. The ground approached rapidly. Fortunately, his parachute opened before he hit the ground. After rolling a few times, he vomited everything inside him due to extreme dizziness. Blech— blech— Were the tears in his eyes from pain, or from the resentment of being powerless to do anything? But there was no time left. The acrid smell of gunpowder and the scent of blood filled the air, and monsters, sensing the life force from afar, swarmed in black. The pilot hastily tore off his parachute cord and drew the gun at his waist.

"Die! Die, you sons of bitches!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Several gunshots rang out painfully in his ears, but they were insufficient to slow the monsters. Click, click, click. As soon as the bullets ran out, the pilot regretted it. He should have saved the last bullet for his own end. The pilot's hand dropped weakly. The fastest monster to arrive in front of him, standing there in despair, was a Chaos World resident that resembled a cockroach. Scritch scritch scritch! Seeing the giant insectoid monsters covering his vision, the pilot's legs gave out and he collapsed on the spot. A moan of despair