Dark night.
Moonlight illuminated the procession of a certain group.
Their appearance was absolutely not ordinary.
Some of the group were armed with mangled armor along with rotting skin.
They were ghouls.
Cold death resided in their eyes, and unknown insects crawled between their decaying teeth.
They moved forward slowly, letting out unpleasant cries.
As they passed, the flowers and plants along the roadside began to wither at a rapid pace.
It wasn’t just ghouls.
There were beings that formed a group with the ghouls.
They exuded beauty, like butterflies flying in the darkness.
Approaching them based solely on their outward beauty would lead to being seized by death.
A sweet yet dangerous charm, succubi.
The group was largely made up of ghouls and succubi.
Was that all?
Among them were knights, Death Knights, clad in dark plate armor and wielding shields.
Beside them was an Arch Lich, clad in luxurious robes and holding a thick book.
Their appearance was like an army of death that had sprung from hell.
Someone would say this.
Army of death.
The being leading them at the front was Azmo.
“Hoh…”
Azmo, leading the army of death, looked at the hunters who appeared before him and simply admired them.
“Hunters are quite fast.”
Ever since Azmo emerged from the dungeon, hunters had continuously appeared before him.
The hunters who appeared in this way continued to block Azmo’s path.
He hadn’t realized it when he was solely inside the dungeon, but their response speed was faster than expected.
Of course, that wasn’t a problem.
The hunters he had met so far, and the hunters right in front of him, were mere husks.
Azmo only needed to spread Master’s will.
“Blocking my path is no different from blocking the plan of the Great One. I shall show you mercy. Please step aside.”
Azmo spoke to the hunters before him in the gentlest voice possible.
In fact, Azmo had been avoiding indiscriminate slaughter since leaving the dungeon.
He had even tried his best to coax and send back the hunters who had blocked his way.
However, except for the occasional ones who dared to charge.
Those guys usually charged directly at Death Knights, so it wasn’t a situation where Azmo could intervene.
They were swept away like paper by the swords swung by the Death Knights, and eventually turned into ghouls and joined the army.
Except for such cases, he showed mercy to everyone.
Even now, as the hunters began to waver upon hearing Azmo’s words.
“…”
Did Azmo’s words have an effect?
After a brief moment, the hunters in front of him began to lower their weapons.
It was an action indicating they had absolutely no intention of fighting.
The hunters knew well.
No matter how much they protected the world, they could not stop the army of death before their eyes.
If they charged, it would simply be a dog’s death.
Just looking at the ghouls, weren’t they armed with familiar equipment?
From that alone, they knew that the hunters who had charged before them had turned into ghouls.
Turning into ghouls meant…
‘There’s even a Death Knight…!’
This monster wave would not be easy.
No, it was evident that it would be the worst incident.
“As expected, you have quick comprehension. You will all become valuable workers for the Great One someday. You need to cherish yourselves for that glorious moment.”
As Azmo showed no intention of attacking, the hunters dropped their weapons and quickly disappeared from their places.
The weapons abandoned by the hunters were returned to the ghouls and succubi.
In this way, Azmo continued to move forward, showing mercy to everyone.
Azmo did not act this way out of sympathy for humans.
All of this was for his Master’s plan.
‘Mercy…’
Azmo fell into thought for a moment.
He recalled what Celia-nim had told him once.
Master is a merciful person.
She told him that he should show Master’s mercy to others.
Of course, Azmo’s idea of mercy differed from Celia’s.
If Celia’s idea of mercy was to oppress them and bring them into Master’s embrace, Azmo argued that they should not be oppressed but left alone.
By leaving them alone, they would become workers for Master.
Relationships built on oppression are too artificial.
Artificial methods were not beautiful.
A natural state of praising the Great One, making them praise the noble one themselves, that was the truly beautiful form.
For the sake of beauty, Azmo avoided indiscriminate slaughter.
However, he was not acting without a plan.
He intended to proceed as is and meet the king who ruled the country.
After meeting the king, he planned to convey his great Master’s will and seek cooperation.
‘Of course, the process will not be easy.’
If Celia-nim had intervened directly in the current situation, it would have been easy.
However, the problem was that he did not possess the same power as Celia-nim.
Furthermore, even if not for now, more powerful hunters would likely come.
He knew this well, having felt the strength of hunters while he was in the dungeon.
‘Still, for the sake of the Great One…’
At least, he had to prove his loyalty to Master.
Azmo glanced back.
Fortunately, the apostles who followed the Great One, Death Knights and Arch Lich, were with him.
Even so, they were not his full force.
Still, their mere presence was a great help.
All attention would be focused on the Death Knight and the Arch Lich.
As Azmo was collecting his thoughts.
“Hoho.”
Another group of hunters appeared.
“You are different from the husks I’ve met so far.”
They exuded a completely different aura from those he had encountered until now.
Hunters possessing immense power.
Furthermore, there were several humans around them.
They all held something, and Azmo knew what it was.
It was a camera.
At a time when he pursued extreme beauty.
He had once taken cameras from intruders who entered the dungeon.
Azmo learned that it was an object that recorded appearances, and he was able to record his and his subordinates’ beauty.
That camera was still carefully stored in his dungeon.
This act of recording is a symbol of those with power.
Azmo believed that cameras were not used by insignificant humans.
In other words, the hunters before him were strong.
Otherwise, why would humans holding cameras be around when they could die at any moment?
Furthermore, there weren’t just one or two such humans.
It meant they certainly weren’t thinking of defeat.
And it meant that many people had gathered to record the moment of victory.
Recording strength…
And with many people involved.
This meant that the hunters before him were likely close to those in power.
Or perhaps they were those in power themselves.
If they were the rulers of the country, they would be close to the reigning king.
At least, that’s what Azmo thought.
Therefore, unlike before, he politely introduced himself.
“I am Azmo, a servant of the Great One.”
To spread Master’s will widely, finding the king first was paramount.
“I wish to negotiate with you. Can you take me to your king?”
However, no good words came from the other party’s mouths.
“Ha, what bullshit are you spewing.”
Instead, they drew their weapons towards Azmo.
Even so, Azmo calmly continued his words.
“I believe this is a good option for you as well, is it not? I am giving you an opportunity. A glorious opportunity to follow the Great One.”
“What kind of monster spewing nonsense are you? You will all die here today!”
A man who appeared to be the leader of the hunter group became enraged.
The leader was A-Rank Hunter Han Jeongcheol.
He was the Team Leader of the Emergency Response Team belonging to the Hunter Association.
* * *
“T-Team Leader!”
Hunter Mirae Lee, belonging to the Emergency Response Team, shouted while looking at Han Jeongcheol.
“Shouldn’t we at least hear out the negotiation…? In a way to minimize damage-”
“No!”
Han Jeongcheol replied with a resolute tone to Mirae Lee’s plea.
Of course, her words were valid.
Negotiation.
A sweet word.
Indeed, some monsters possessed high intelligence.
Hunters also existed who used that aspect to negotiate with the masters of dungeons.
Of course, while it was called negotiation, it was mostly like the weaker party begging the stronger party to spare their lives.
And in the current situation, negotiation should absolutely not be agreed to.
Because.
“Why did the Emergency Response Team mobilize now, after having remained hidden?”
“Is the monster wave the monsters over there?”
“What does the Association think about this incident?! Could prior prevention have been possible?”
Reporters would not stand idly by upon seeing the Emergency Response Team, which had reappeared after a long time.
Thanks to this, Han Jeongcheol let out a sigh.
Even some individuals were doing personal broadcasts.
No matter how much they were Awakened, the current situation was dangerous.
It wouldn’t be strange for anything to happen at any moment.
Yet, they had followed him here.
‘Sigh…’
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand.
The more dangerous the site, the more public attention was focused on it, making it valuable for coverage, and with the Emergency Response Team here, they probably thought they were safe.
“First, get all the reporters to back off!”
Han Jeongcheol shouted to his team members.
The more eyes watching, the more restrictions on their actions.
For example, if they agreed to the negotiation mentioned by the monster earlier and suffered damage, they would be criticized for it.
“By the way, negotiation…”
He mulled over the word negotiation.
The negotiation they were talking about now had a different aspect.
The one at the forefront said a while ago.
‘Follow the Great One…?’
Their demand was simple.
To follow their Master.
Of course, regardless of whether reporters were present or not, it was truly nonsensical talk, so Han Jeongcheol had no intention of agreeing to a negotiation.
Han Jeongcheol’s gaze fell upon the knight in black armor behind.
The aura was extremely ominous.
Perhaps that guy was the mastermind of this incident.
Perhaps he was the dungeon owner.
Ghouls and succubi filled the surroundings.
Especially the ghouls were seen wearing hunter gear.
‘They must have already turned hunters into ghouls.’
Han Jeongcheol shouted to his team members.
“Everyone be careful. The opponent is an A-Rank monster, Death Knight! But don’t just focus on him!”
In fact, the succubus who had been talking about negotiation until a moment ago also possessed an unusual aura.
And not only that.
Next to the Death Knight was a Lich.
“Team Leader, surely it’s not an Arch Lich, right?”
To Mirae Lee’s question, he shook his head resolutely.
“There’s already an A-Rank monster, Death Knight. It’s impossible for another A-Rank to appear!”
Han Jeongcheol wanted to believe it was just a Lich for now.
‘Arch Lich…’
The difference between a Lich and an Arch Lich was as vast as the sky and the earth, and their countermeasures were different.
While a Lich simply caused undead to explode, an Arch Lich was said to have the ability to revive the dead as skeletons.
And now, with a Death Knight, and additionally an Arch Lich?
Absolutely.
This was something that should never happen.
Han Jeongcheol took a deep breath.
“Everyone, prepare for combat!”
It was time to fight in earnest.
“Most of them are undead! Mirae Lee! Activate holy attacks first!”
At the team leader’s command, Mirae Lee drew out her holy power.
Light began to emanate from her body.
“Buff Mirae! We have to end it in one blow!”
There are no second chances.
They had to inflict maximum damage with this attack.
Of course, he didn’t think he could eliminate the Death Knight.
The target of this attack was always the ghouls and the Lich.
If the rest were dealt with, they could manage to deal with the Death Knight.
Mirae Lee’s body began to glow.
And.
Light was fired at the group of monsters.
Fwoosh-
The light exploded momentarily, driving away the darkness. It also created a hazy smoke.
“Yes!!”
Even Han Jeongcheol thought this attack was a great success.
He immediately ordered his team members to prepare for attack.
“Everyone attack when the smoke clears-”
But the situation didn’t unfold as he expected.
“…!”
It wasn’t just Han Jeongcheol.
His team members were also just staring at a scene.
Even the reporters who were talking a moment ago, and those doing personal broadcasts, fell silent.
“Oh?”
Someone broke the quiet silence.
“I-It can’t be.”
It was Mirae Lee.
As she said, the current scene was absolutely inexplicable.
The attack, which everyone had buffed and fired with all their might, was blocked by the Death Knight’s shield.
Flutter-
Something was fluttering in front of the Death Knight’s shield.
“M-Maid outfit…?”
It was a maid outfit.
A maid outfit was fluttering in front of the shield held by the Death Knight.
Everyone’s mouths hung open at the current sight.
What was this situation?
It was too grotesque.
It was terrifying.
“…”
They couldn’t say anything.
The current scene was being recorded and broadcasted accurately by the cameras of reporters and personal broadcasters.
Naturally, the reaction was chaotic.
