Chapter: 207
[■■■■■■■■■■!!!]
The howling of demonic beasts echoed like a chorus of wolves. The sound reverberated like a siren, filling the classroom to the brim.
Despite the overwhelming volume, the people inside the classroom held their breaths as if it were a classical concert. The chilling and ominous harmony raised the hairs on their bodies, plunging the room into a dead silence.
This silence was soon shattered by a sudden vibration. The source of this vibration came from Ms. Eve’s pocket.
As she pulled out her mobile phone amidst everyone’s gaze, Ms. Eve frowned upon checking it and started to speak as if letting out a sigh.
“…Unknown reason for emergence; currently, the estimated number of high-tier demonic beasts appearing near the city… a total of 7.”
Seven high-tier beasts. Ms. Eve’s words painted the children’s faces in shades of dread.
Just as there was a huge gap between low and mid-tier beasts, the difference between mid and high-tier was laughable in comparison. They were so terrifying that it was said a captain’s position could change hands each time one appeared.
Having seven of such entities show up would be anything but optimistic, even for the most hopeful among them.
Despair, fear, confusion. Various emotions subtly spread among the children, leading many to slump down in their seats, unable to bear it.
And then, amidst all that…
“Don’t sit down.”
Telos’s voice rang out softly. His voice, small yet unwavering, caught the attention of the children, who had been slumped over in despair.
At the end of their gazes stood a man, tall and composed without a hint of disturbance. It was a sight that felt oddly out of place.
How could he remain so calm? It wasn’t as if he had foreseen this.
In a room full of negativity and downcast spirits, the sight of the man maintaining his composure was almost unbelievable.
As they stared in awe, Telos met each of their gazes and spoke.
“Is this really the time for you to be slumped over? Is this how you’ve been taught here?”
At Telos’s scolding tone, the children’s bodies flinched. No, that wasn’t what they learned.
Then what should they do now? As if trying to remind them of their purpose that they had temporarily forgotten, Telos opened his mouth once more.
“If adversity comes, it is the hero’s role to overcome it. Instead of sitting around, get up and think of a way to get through this situation. Reflect on what you must do, on what you can do. Can you do that?”
His steady voice held a powerful weight. The light returned to the children’s eyes, which had been engulfed in despair.
Watching the children slowly rise and nod their heads, Ms. Eve finally seemed to realize what needed to be done, her eyes filled with determination as she turned to Dwight.
“Dwight, if the high-tier beasts come charging into the city, how many can the barrier hold out against?”
“…One, for sure, it can hold. But after that, I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Is that so? Then we’ll let one through. If it weakens after passing through the barrier, even a high-tier beast should be manageable. I’ll leave the other four to each squad leader, and even if I can’t defeat it, I can at least buy some time.”
Telos, who seemed to be thinking desperately of a solution, turned his gaze to the window and said,
“I’ll take care of that one over there. That seems like the best course of action.”
“…Is this the right method? I have no choice but to do this, but even if they’re squad leaders, they’re still high-tier beasts…”
Ms. Eve expressed her unease in a nervous voice. To that, Telos nodded, reassuring her.
“Don’t worry. The current captains are known as the ‘Golden Generation.’ Unless they’re out of the ordinary, they should all be able to hold their own against a high-tier beast. From what I saw last time, Yoon Si-woo seems much stronger than I am; as long as you and I do our jobs, we’ll be fine.”
With a slight smile, Telos reassured Ms. Eve and then turned to look at us, saying,
“I understand your fears. But just remember one thing: humanity has always faced such adversities, and every time, everyone has united to protect their happiness.”
His voice remained steady as ever, unwavering and steadfast. It felt like he was certain that this time would be no different.
His unwavering demeanor made us think of a towering oak tree. This man would never fall, and just by watching him, a surge of hope welled up within us.
Then, the hero who instilled courage in us all said one final thing:
“This time, it’s your turn. Protect and survive. I believe you can do it.”
In response to his words, we nodded vigorously.
*
“…That beast is enormous.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
“No matter how you look at it, we can’t handle that thing.”
Suddenly called to the frontline for an emergency summons, the Astrafe squad members broke into cold sweats as they faced the approaching demonic beast, its massive footsteps echoing.
Standing before the towering beast that seemed to be the size of a five or six-story building, humans felt incredibly small and powerless.
The overwhelming mass was violence itself. With a mere swipe of its massive paws, it was clear that a person would be reduced to pulp.
Yet, the squad members facing the beast didn’t have any intention of retreating.
First, they had something they needed to protect behind them, and second…
“Please, captain, no, commander.”
They also believed in one another.
As one squad member murmured, a man appeared and stood defiantly in front of the gigantic beast.
His action seemed reckless and even foolish, like a grasshopper blocking a cartwheel.
It was easy to imagine the man being crushed and turned into meat paste if the beast took just one step forward. However, the squad members watching didn’t seem surprised.
They had fought alongside that man only a short while ago.
If there was a high-tier variant among the rare breed of demonic beasts, there was also a man who had withstood such monsters and remained steadfast for over fifty years.
The man’s name was Telos Dolos.
They called him ‘The Unfaltering One.’
With a thunderous crash, the enormous beast lost its balance and crashed to the ground.
“Start the attack!!”
Trusting the man, the squad members unleashed a concentrated barrage of attacks at the exposed beast.
Being elite heroes of Astrafe, their assault was so powerful that it would reduce any ordinary beast to nothing but dust.
That is, if it were an ordinary demonic beast.
“Gah! Regeneration?! This beast is of the gluttony type!”
“Damn it, what regeneration…! Be careful! If you get caught in its thrashing, you’re done for!”
Their assault was indeed powerful. However, the overwhelming regeneration of the high-tier gluttonous beast turned their attacks into mere appetizer scratches.
[■■■■■■■!!!]
The injured beast let out a howl as it whipped its tentacles around wildly.
What were called tentacles were thicker than a standard fire hose, and at that speed, getting hit would mean instant death.
Taking advantage of the brief pause in their assault, the beast managed to right itself using its limbs and tentacles.
Seeing the wounds begin to heal, one squad member said to Telos, who was helping the other members regroup,
“Captain, what do we do? The damage we dealt has become meaningless.”
“It hasn’t become meaningless. You know how to deal with gluttonous beasts, don’t you?”
Of course, the squad member knew well.
They encountered gluttonous beasts frequently enough that it was tiresome.
There are three main strategies to deal with a gluttonous beast.
Find and destroy the core located somewhere in its body. Inflict damage greater than its ability to regenerate. And finally,
“Kill it by wearing it down until it can’t fight anymore… Are you really okay with that? It’s a strategy that will put a lot of pressure on you, captain. Once it’s high-tier, we might end up fighting all day long.”
What they were doing was a strategy based on the premise that Telos would subdue the beast. Thus, if they aimed to outlast the beast’s regeneration, Telos would have to engage directly with it, putting immense strain on himself.
Yet Telos simply chuckled in response to the worried squad member.
“Have you forgotten what my nickname is? I’m not the one who’ll tire out first in this fight.”
“…That’s right. You are ‘The Unfaltering One.’ Don’t worry about us; we won’t hold you back.”
“Right. And now that I’m not your captain, let’s drop the ‘captain’ title.”
“…No matter what you say, you’ll forever be our captain.”
With a smile, Telos patted the shoulder of the squad member, who responded in kind, and once more, he leaped into the fray against the beast.
Just like before, as he began to grapple with the beast, he thought to himself.
This beast isn’t all that strong.
Though typically categorized as high, mid, or low, there were degrees of difference even among beasts.
For instance, the ‘Bird of Doom’ from the Northern Forest, that Fury Beast, was known to be on a different level from other high-tier monsters.
Just as the strength of heroes varied, the innate differences of species, accumulated experiences, and the years they have lived contributed to making a gap in strength among the beasts.
That’s why a newly born high-tier beast tends to be relatively weak. It hasn’t even properly assimilated the miasma that constitutes its body yet, let alone have any combat experience.
Just like this one being tossed aside.
This beast was at a level that other captains could easily handle.
Unless something particularly unusual happened, no beast aside from the one designated to pass through the barrier would make it across.
So—
Just as Telos continued his thoughts and twisted off one of the beast’s legs, the fallen beast was bombarded with an onslaught from the squad, who carried on as before while the beast retaliated by thrashing its tentacles.
The squad members easily avoided the wildly swinging tentacles. They were used enough to the pattern not to be affected by it. However,
In that moment, a piece of debris from a broken building landed exactly where one squad member was about to place his foot.
Even seasoned heroes could encounter unforeseen mistakes due to unexpected variables, and that squad member lost his balance and fell.
Just as the squad members had learned the beast’s attack patterns, so too could the beast learn.
Against the fallen squad member, the thrashing tentacles launched an all-out attack as if they had been waiting for this moment.
While the fallen member managed to roll to the side in a desperate bid to avoid most of the tentacles, one managed to snag his leg and lift him into the air.
In the blink of an eye, an accident had occurred that few could respond to, except for Telos, who had become accustomed to countless battlefields over long years.
With a swift crack, Telos propelled himself from the ground, grabbing the tentacle that was restraining the squad member who had just called him ‘captain.’
With a swift motion, Telos hurled the rescued squad member toward another one capable of using telekinesis to ensure he didn’t sustain any injuries.
And as he turned, he caught sight of something.
He saw numerous tentacles flying towards the defenseless squad member and the beast, who seemed to be snarling at him, as if it had deliberately targeted him from the start.
Suspended upside down by the tentacles, Telos’s vision flipped upside down.
In that world, he saw the squad members and the countless people in the city.
What he had dedicated his life to protect was there.
He had worked tirelessly for their happiness all this time.
And it seemed like that role might finally end here.
Telos quietly closed his eyes, thinking that if he had one last wish, it would be.
May the people he had fought to protect survive, even just a few more.
And with that thought concluded,
“Captain-!!!”
The colossal tree that had held countless lives for so long,
Vanished into the mouth of the beast.
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