Seok Ryu-hwa.
A fire attribute sorcerer who plays a key role in the White Knight Guild.
She was once known as the strongest fire sorcerer in Korea, a transcendent being referred to as the ‘Flame Lord.’ Considering that it’s been over four years since her whereabouts became a mystery, it’s safe to say that there are no hunters in Korea who can wield fire magic stronger than her.
Now, with the help of countless allies, she had successfully approached the main body of the Devouring Creeper.
“It took over an hour just to reach the core, you filthy bastard!”
Despite successfully arriving at the main body of the Devouring Creeper through a mysterious path, it took her more than an hour to penetrate its thick shell.
Ultimately, the time she gained was thanks to the top-tier hunters of Team 1, and Seok Ryu-hwa felt the weight of the significant sacrifices made during that time.
[How… is this possible…?]
The Devouring Creeper couldn’t comprehend the current situation. How could someone break through so many barriers? No human who originally lived on this land had succeeded.
How could a human, one no different from the others… accomplish this?
“Bwahahahaha! This uncontrollable power!”
Seok Ryu-hwa, receiving a buff from an unnamed transcendent, had significantly increased her magical attack power. Each stream of flame bursting from her body possessed enough strength to incinerate hundreds of Creeper Guards—can you believe that?
Seeing a human infused with such an anomalous aura of flame, the Devouring Creeper realized,
[It’s not just her own strength… I see…]
Right then, the main body recognized its own inadequacy with a sigh.
[Humans are not weak…]
It regretted learning this lesson too late.
And then, the magic power within Seok Ryu-hwa exploded.
While her overall combat abilities could not be called top-class among S-rank mages, even the freshly minted S-rank spearman Park Jin-gon showed confidence that he could face her.
But the reason she was regarded as the second strongest among the fire-wielding hunters in Korea was due to one specific skill.
“O burning heart─ evil lord of Pirolis─ I beseech the everlasting flame─!”
As Seok Ryu-hwa activated her ultimate skill, her biological clock started to rewind back to her prime in her early twenties. Regaining her milky white skin and vitality, she was filled with an indescribable joy.
“Bwahahahahahaha!! Ahahaha!!”
Her power had leveled up several tiers by the ability of the transcendent, and fortuitously, she even gained a great insight. While her excitement felt like it might drive her mad, she continued to amplify her terrible fire powers without pause.
A deadly Great Beast was clearly extending its claws toward Korea.
The accolades for defeating this creature would pave a solid path for her future.
“Burn───!!”
[Infernal Flame]
Fwhaaaaar────!!
Seok Ryu-hwa unleashed the ultimate move of her lifetime, and a horrific blaze soared alongside the main body of the Devouring Creeper.
An eternal flame, borne from her karma, from hell itself.
This was an attack infused with the essence of Seok Ryu-hwa, S-rank hunter favored by the fire god ‘Rivisenax.’
Despite the skill having a long activation time and the restriction of being usable only four times in her lifetime, the sheer power made it entirely justifiable.
The unquenchable flames rapidly stretched out like lines, following the roots of the main body.
This flame was known to be the strongest among the fire gods, Rivisenax’s fire. Even the water god ‘Ryun’ would struggle to extinguish it.
As the spreading fire was witnessed, the hunters belonging to Team 1 clenched their fists.
[Aaaahhhh…!]
One being, who could only watch helplessly from within the confined space, shed blood tears in despair.
“Uwaaaaaah──!!”
Who could understand the feelings of a child watching their mother burn, but the hunters witnessing the agonizing cries of the ‘First Escalon’ could think only of how to escape that maddened monster.
The thought that they must flee.
It was an inappropriate sentiment for the top fighters of Team 1, yet the overwhelming brutality displayed by the First Escalon in over an hour of battle stirred their instincts.
“It’s great that we succeeded, but doesn’t it mean something only if we survive…?”
Even if the hero who removed the threat toward their homeland, what use is it if they end up buried in a grave?
Tanker Cha Mu-yeol’s thoughts were echoed by a man assisting him.
“Damn… it’s only ten Escalons, yet this much damage? Then we’ll have to take North Korea to balance the books.”
S-rank hunter and wind magician Jo Won-jae was among the most talented versatile mages.
While his statement was far from the original purpose of the hunt team, no one dared to argue against it.
Such was the level of serious injuries Team 1 had endured, and what pressed them into a corner was the enormous Ent wailing as it witnessed its burning mother.
About an hour ago.
Only ten Escalons were standing guard around the Devouring Creeper.
There were no Creeper Guards; the area was eerily clean.
The hunting team enjoyed numerical superiority, and Seok Ryu-hwa’s infiltration proceeded successfully as planned, boosting morale.
But the one existence that shattered all conditions and changed the tides of war was a singular being.
Presently, with its back turned to the hunters.
The creature displayed such overwhelming performance that no one could even think of attacking it.
Already, several had fallen to it, and even two S-rank hunters had been wholly devoured, losing their lives.
The ‘First Escalon.’
It was surprisingly a Great Beast that had reached the level of a transcendent.
It was the most unlikely possibility, but one no one could entirely disregard.
Moreover, unlike hunters who had become transcendent after the First Wave, it was not subject to any system restrictions.
A terrifying physique that soared over ten meters.
Its smoothly tempered exterior resembling well-forged steel reminded one of the ‘Heavenly Shield,’ which wouldn’t break no matter how much it was hit.
And its hundreds of whips made it impossible to avoid even a single blow, and it was just as lethal in defense.
The power was horrific; it was hard to completely defend against it with even the best gear and artifacts.
Indeed, since the battle began, it was only the White Knight Guild’s Kang Yeon-su, Ilseom Guild’s Hyeon Il-hwan, and Jo Won-jae—who wielded the most slicing magical attribute—who had inflicted meaningful damage on it.
“Il-hwan, that skill you used earlier. Can you do it once more?”
“I can, but I’m not sure about you, Yeon-su.”
Kang Yeon-su and Ilseom Guild’s Hyeon Il-hwan, both of whom were the same age and called the current awakening heroes of Korea, had met each other many times.
They had memorized each other’s information meticulously, so there were no issues in coordinating their efforts.
The reason they managed to stall such a powerful beast for over an hour was precisely because of their fantastic synergy.
Of course, the support of other hunters, including Choi Gang-han was also greatly beneficial, but now they could no longer rely on that.
Kang Yeon-su, about to enter what might be the final [Divine Transformation], glanced at Hyeon Il-hwan’s elegant profile.
‘Il-hwan… a man who carries righteousness in his heart, yet there’s something about him that made me hesitate. Should I finally set aside those doubts…?’
Kang Yeon-su had a small question regarding Hyeon Il-hwan, who recently had a falling out with Yeon-hee’s group.
Hyeon Il-hwan claimed he had simply joined to help his father but rushed to this more urgent matter. But she couldn’t quite believe that completely.
However, being pushed into such a life-or-death situation, they inevitably grew psychologically closer despite being in a state of animosity.
Soon, all unnecessary thoughts were cast aside, and both began to draw their mental strength to the peak inside their respective ‘rooms.’
Other hunters were also squeezing every bit of magic power to escape the grip of the enormous fate called ‘death.’
Behind them stood healers tending to the hunters.
“Cough── Hurk-!”
“Damn it! It’s hard to even find properly formed organs!”
S-rank healer Gu Sang-min was among them.
Though his healing squad was doing their utmost, the number of injured was overwhelming.
The death toll had already surpassed five.
Considering the value of an S-rank hunter, it was a significant national loss.
To make things worse, ‘Choi Gang-han,’ who held the position of commander of the hunting team, suffered a serious head injury and still hadn’t regained consciousness. They had already surpassed the worst-case scenario they had anticipated.
Watching the unconscious Choi Gang-han and a hunter whose lower body gruesomely exploded in shock, Jo Won-jae felt something was amiss and started rambling again.
“No way… even if it’s a monster that reached the level of a transcendent, it’s just absurd that we’re losing ground like this regardless of our strength.”
Despite deploying 30% of Korea’s S-rank hunters and even receiving help from transcendent beings ‘Lightning Cloud’ and ‘Unnamed Transcendent,’ they still suffered enormous damage.
Of course, their purpose was to support Team 2, but still, this was too much to fathom.
At least it was fortunate that thanks to ‘Lightning Cloud,’ the attack from Seok Ryu-hwa’s fire magicians had succeeded.
Without ‘Lightning Cloud’s’ incredible ability, the First Escalon’s power would have been much greater than it currently was, and they couldn’t have restrained it with ‘Mysterious Barrier Art.’
“We can analyze why we’re losing later. What do we do now? We’re stuck here without any way out.”
Team 2, which thought it had to take the greatest risks, used all its resources and promptly fled to Korea through ‘Mysterious Path,’ but—
The Team 1 hunters, who had been binding the Escalon, became trapped along with two Escalons in a space encircled by unknown powers unleashed by the Devouring Creeper.
Those two were none other than the First and Fifth Escalon.
The strongest among them and the monster that resembled a human most closely.
Fortunately, with two S-rank barrier mages by their side, they managed to trap the two beasts inside another barrier, but that was merely a temporary measure.
Soon, when those two break free from there, a brutal struggle to the death would begin, until only one of them remains.
Chill─
Gu Sang-min, glancing unconsciously at the back of the First Escalon, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
“How long can we hold on?”
He urgently asked the two top-tier barrier mages, and the answer was a mere three minutes.
“Three minutes…”
It felt as if he had received a revelation that his remaining life was only that long.
In contrast, upon hearing that answer, Kang Yeon-su and Hyeon Il-hwan exchanged smiles.
“Hah─ Not bad. That’s more than enough time to prepare one strong strike.”
“Indeed. Let’s gather as much strength as we can, and we’ll strike as soon as that barrier naturally breaks.”
Unlike the other hunters, who were frightened by the power of the First Escalon, Kang Yeon-su and Hyeon Il-hwan were confident they could eliminate the horrific monster encaged within that barrier.
“We can’t lose this fight.”
“Of course. We can’t show any disgrace to those supporting us from behind.”
After all, they were both individuals who had stepped into the realm of transcendent beings.
Even against a monster with such a colossal physical advantage, there was no need to tremble; they had already experienced that several times.
“Kwaaaaaaah───!!!”
The First Escalon, howling incomprehensibly as it radiated light in the barrier within the barrier, despaired upon witnessing the unquenchable flames devouring its mother. And it raged in fury.
[Aaaahhh… my child… you must survive…!]
The profound love it held until the end passed through an intangible thread, reaching its first child.
Although the main body had yet to perish, its life energy was rapidly dwindling.
“Grahhhh… I will tear everything apart. No, I’ll make them weep and regret for their lives until they perish.”
The First Escalon’s fury was met with a calm response from the Fifth Escalon.
(Mother requested it… to spare the humans. And these humans differ qualitatively from the ones we’ve faced before. Have you not experienced it firsthand? Remain composed.)
“……..”
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