“Um… can we possibly meet again next time? I mean, if I could just see your face without doing anything, I’d do anything for that.”
‘Next…?’
Will I ever have a reason to come back to China again?
“It’s not necessary to go that far just to meet. But I’m not exactly free, so if something comes up, I’ll reach out first.”
“… Please do let me know. I’ll be waiting—”
“Huh?!!”
In the midst of our peaceful conversation, the flow of mana gracefully moving around suddenly began to shake violently.
Crackling—
‘What?!’
With a sensation like my bones were about to crumble, the air around us flipped in an instant.
It clearly started as mundane, but in a moment, it turned into a world of horror.
Zzzt—
The ‘greeting note’ I exchanged with Jung Tae-hyung was torn to shreds and turned to ash, vanishing completely.
‘What is that?!’
GooOOOooo───
Kaboom─────!!
In that moment.
A deafening explosion shook the ground, and the earth trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
───?!!
“Ah? That crack, could it be?!”
“It’s the banquet hall! We need to go now!!”
“Yes, yes!!”
We launched ourselves into action simultaneously.
Something that could only be described as immense, something terrifying beyond mere words, began to reveal itself in the sky above the banquet hall.
‘Is that… the place where Liu Xiao-Wo caused the gray cracks?!’
To our astonishment, a gigantic life form began to crawl out from there, so enormous it was visible even from a distance, appearing as if it were seeping into our world with its bizarre screams.
KuuuuWoooooo!!
The City Tower, the tallest building in Beijing, stands just over 500 meters tall.
That monster matched its height.
Its torso was around 70 meters wide.
‘This is insane. It’s too big, right?!’
“How did that thing get here?! No way!!”
Kiiiiiieee──────!!
“Ugh…! That damn guy again!!”
“It’s as noisy as it looks.”
A horrific scream erupted from the far-off sky.
It sounded ominous enough to imagine the groans of millions suffering in hell.
Just from that scream, I could guess how many non-awakened ones had perished.
‘How many of the people in the banquet hall are still alive? Those mediocre powers are already…’
Many of the awakened ones who were in the same place when it fell were probably buried deep underground along with the banquet hall.
‘This isn’t right… What has Inessa done?!’
Facing the actual great beast was a whole different dimension from merely estimating.
‘How the hell do you catch that…’
The notorious ‘Necrosquall’, recorded as the worst disaster-causing great beast in history, hadn’t earned that reputation for nothing.
Its serpentine body, adorned with zigzagged thorns, writhed with thousands of tentacle-like appendages.
It was the joyful expression of a prisoner just liberated from an old prison.
With a round head connected to its body like an octopus, its legs were firmly planted into the ground, and from its giant, bottomless jaw, grotesque beings with wings kept pouring out endlessly.
“That bird is what was called ‘Necrosqualix’, the loyal minion of Necrosquall.
It’s a flying monster commonly referred to as ‘Shajo’.”
“This is unbelievable. I can’t believe this! How did we drive it off… Someone… someone did something, didn’t they?”
While running alongside me, Liu Xiao-Wo screamed in disbelief.
I couldn’t help but wonder what her reaction would be if she knew I was the one who helped it.
The very incident that gave her a decisive advantage in fully dominating China was the event when ‘Necrosquall’ was subdued. If that nightmare were to resurface, I felt like I would go insane as well.
I used the new ability I gained from my job change immediately.
– Calling upon the Demon Servant ‘Jung Tae-hyung’.
Swish—
“Wha?! M-Master?!”
Suddenly transported next to me, Jung Tae-hyung was in a mess, completely coated in dust.
“What’s the situation?”
“A monster dropped out of nowhere without any warning, and I’d estimate at least 20% of the people in the vicinity have died from the shock.”
“Any other anomalies detected?”
“Some unfamiliar energies have appeared inside the banquet hall, but then the great beast showed up right after.”
“Unfamiliar energies…”
Could they be allies? Or Inessa’s subordinates?
‘Let’s go check it out first.’
We arrived at the scene shortly thereafter.
“Sorry, but I’ll be taking my leave now—!!”
Liu Xiao-Wo dashed back to her territory.
No matter how enchanted she was with me, resolving the situation took priority now.
“If we get any closer, that damn ‘Shajo’ will swarm us and tear us apart.”
“I see…”
The sky was already blackened by birds of death, their presence accentuated by even darker smoke swirling around.
And…
Clang clang—
Pthwack!
Those things that shouldn’t be moving started to emerge from the ground one by one— a deathly procession began.
– The undead army is rising…
– That person was just laughing and chatting in the banquet hall a moment ago…
The great beast Necrosquall was handling death like it was nothing.
It possessed a terrifying power equal to its massive size.
Not only could it summon zombies, ghouls, skeleton soldiers, wraiths, and specters, but it could also raise dead organisms as undead and utilize them as immediate forces.
– The end… it’s over. China is done for…!
– How could the creature we subdued come back here?!
Many hunters who managed to narrowly escape the great beast were pulling their hair out in despair.
A few of them even tried to launch some fairly strong ranged skills, but…
Bang bang bang!!
Before their attacks even reached its main body, ‘Shajo’ threw itself to block.
If that was the case, wouldn’t pouring in more attacks work? Something that ‘Shajo’ couldn’t block with its body.
But that thought didn’t last long.
Seeing ‘Shajo’ rise up again after its head had exploded from a magical attack shattered my hope.
‘The mana shield is incredibly thick. Compared to that, the First Escalon seems feasible. Just how did we manage to push that crazy monster back to Guangzhou?’
Looking back, it was almost astonishing.
It was evident that Liu Xiao-Wo’s explosive ability played a huge role, but it seemed even her skill couldn’t achieve a complete release.
– Kiiiiiieeeee!!
– Ugh, someone stop that damn sound!!
Every time Necrosquall screamed, hundreds of undead would rise from the ground.
Meanwhile, it kept spewing out ‘Shajo’, turning a large area into a land of death in a matter of minutes.
– Mark the weak points!! The longer we stall, the worse it will be for us!
– The captain has created a ‘path’! Just run through that path!!
– Master, use your ‘Invincible’ skill!! Break through personally!!
‘Had they already begun?’
Liu Xiao-Wo, even after losing all her cats, still maintained her authority.
Taking the lead herself, she raised the spirits.
Hundreds of ‘Ghoul Knights’ blocked her path, but with a single gesture, dozens of them burst apart.
‘Wow, incredible.’
I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made a mistake with Liu Xiao-Wo given her overwhelming combat prowess.
‘More importantly, what do we do now?’
First, I released [Camouflage].
I needed to raise my combat power by even a little bit.
I’d have to hide from whoever was watching the situation from higher ground, once again.
‘Jo Gi-man…’
He had made his return to the battlefield, resembling me by also having released his camouflage.
In other words, he was fully armed.
‘I can’t sense the power of the Seven-headed Dragon. Maybe it’s not always by his side.’
Then, there could be limitations in transforming into a dragon.
‘What’s with that stare? You’re not thinking of going for Liu Xiao-Wo, are you? If you have any sense at all, you should refrain from that madness.’
He was glaring at Liu Xiao-Wo, but I was already running scenarios of an imaginary battle to block him in my mind.
– Why on earth is Necrosquall appearing at this moment? Even in a world turned upside down, this seems too far-fetched.
Listening through my [Well-Honed Ears], it seemed Jo Gi-man was equally surprised by the summoning of the great beast.
But.
[Thousand Thunder Palm]
Krrrrrrruuuung──!!
A thousand red lightning bolts he summoned struck down directly upon ‘Necrosquall’ and its minions.
The mental casting speed was insane, able to strike a target almost immediately coinciding with the release of the ability.
‘I’d love to have that Thousand Thunder Palm…’
– Kiiiiiieeeee!!
Necrosquall reacted much more sensitively than when Liu Xiao-Wo infiltrated it and pounded on its shield.
‘What a relief.’
Jo Gi-man seems to have judged that taking down the great beast was more beneficial than attacking Liu Xiao-Wo.
‘Now is the time!’
As soon as I decided it was time, I leaped towards Necrosquall.
Simultaneously, two achievement messages popped up.
[Unmatched Fury]
– Attack power increases in proportion to the gap between yourself and the enemy.
– Damage inflicted on the great beast ‘Necrosquall’ rises significantly.
‘Oh… Did my attack power increase to an unquantifiable level?’
[Dissonant Harmony]
– If you collaborate with a rival, attack power doubles.
– You cannot attack the rival while this achievement is active.
‘Ah… I forgot I had such an achievement.’
It was indeed an ironic achievement.
Collaborating with that jerk Jo Gi-man boosts my attack power?
‘I never thought the day would come when this would activate.’
With a boost in attack power this significant, even a normal attack could deal considerable damage.
Zrrrrrrzzzzzzz───!
With Lightning Step, I swiftly approached its main body, gripping my sword tightly and preparing to swing.
‘What the…?’
“Huh? Master?”
Somehow, I found myself back next to Jung Tae-hyung again.
‘?! What the hell?!’
“Master? Did you just use a teleport skill?”
To him, it seemed as though I had moved in an instant.
‘Wait a minute… Is that great beast’s shield?’
The thick mana shield surrounding Necrosquall pulsated with ancient symbols inscribed all over it.
‘Is it some kind of ancient barrier technique? This isn’t a simple monster after all.’
Just then, Liu Xiao-Wo’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
– Don’t think you can’t approach! So long as you keep pounding at it, the shield will eventually come down! Until then, close-range fighters should focus on the minions! The great beast’s mana is not infinite, and that alone can weaken its overall power! Trust me!
– UOooooo!!
As top hunters from China, who had been watching the scene from afar, began to join the battle one by one.
Liu Xiao-Wo’s timely rallying cry sparked a quick revival of the dormant fighting spirit.
Liu Xiao-Wo wasn’t the only one to have experienced the Necrosquall, and the confused hunters quickly regained their composure with the help of the veterans.
Bang bang bang bang!!
The gigantic Necrosquall lurched as Liu Xiao-Wo unleashed a barrage of attacks that could barely be perceived by the eye.
The magnitude of damage dealt in dozens of strikes per second was a stark display of what it meant to be called a transcendent being.
‘She’s completely different from when I’m with her. But still, is Inessa just going to wake the great beast and nothing more?’
Inessa had certainly claimed she would take care of Necrosquall.
To summon it and then defeat it herself?
She must have something deadly in store for this crazy venture.
‘But for real, where is she? From where is she going to strike?’
Her subordinates in Guangzhou wouldn’t be able to launch attacks here—
[Valindor’s Unyielding Wings]
[Valindor’s Any Tooth Will Pierce Through]
‘?!’
KABOOOOOM───!!
A round object flew across the battlefield faster than I could even think to react and struck Necrosquall’s barrier, producing a massive shockwave.
The force pushed Liu Xiao-Wo, who had been carving a path, back as well.
‘What… was that just now?! Did it reach me the moment I sensed it?’
Currently, the wave of sensory perception extended about 34km.
That unidentifiable projectile had flown from even further than that.
The only person who could perform such a reckless attack must be one.
‘… Sniper Patrick… he really was a monster, huh?’
The distance from Guangzhou to here exceeds 2,000km.
To sniper from that range and land a perfect shot on the monster!
Not to mention the destructive power was extraordinary. If I were hit by that, my skull would likely be shattered.
No, maybe with Areina’s noble shield, I might have blocked it once.
2,000km sniper shots.
Chills ran down my spine.
The world is vast, and monsters abound.
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