Guwooooo---!!!
The ground shakes violently from the tremor.
I steadied my center with inner qi and looked up at the sky.
As if eyes had opened in the sky, countless dimensions tore open.
Countless Demonic Gates had formed in the sky.
"Crazy bastard."
A curse naturally escaped my lips at the sight unfolding before me.
It was inevitable.
The sheer number of Demonic Gates was one thing, but they all radiated a red glow.
This meant that all those Demonic Gates were Red Demonic Gates, and Red-grade demonic beasts would burst out from them.
Monsters that required one to be at least a Perfected Peak to hunt.
They were the kind of creatures that could reduce their surroundings to ruins just by appearing.
Of course, at this point, they weren't much of a threat to me.
'I could easily take down a couple of them.'
Objectively, I could handle up to five or six at once by myself.
But.
'That number is just too much.'
That was simply too many.
Even a rough count exceeded thirty.
Thirty Red-grade demonic beasts?
'That's enough to easily wipe out Henan.'
It was a number I hadn't even seen in my past life.
This was entirely unexpected.
It was a given that the more there were, the harder they were to deal with.
This wasn't simply a matter of things multiplying.
Especially in a situation like this.
In a situation where it was already overwhelming just to hunt while fleeing, I couldn't leave my position.
'There is too much to protect.'
I looked around.
The remaining personnel numbered a little over fifty.
Naturally, their faces were filled with dismay.
"To think there are so many Red Demonic Gates..."
"Damn it, what do we do now?"
"How are we supposed to stop that...?"
Words spoken from horrific expressions lingered in my ears.
How could they stop that?
The words they forced out despite their terror-stricken faces echoed.
'Tsk.'
They think of stopping it rather than running away.
They knew. They knew what those things would do to this place the moment they retreated.
And thus, what would happen to the evacuees.
They seemed to know instinctively.
And so, even in this desperate situation, they couldn't bring themselves to flee.
'...Hah.'
Good grief.
'Is this what passes for the Righteous Faction?'
They couldn't be anything but foolish humans.
Yeah, with that kind of attitude, no wonder they died early.
Do you know why the war in my past life was such a mess?
Because people exactly like them were the first to die the moment shit hit the fan.
'Foolish idiots without a shred of sense.'
Because they chose to fight rather than flee, even knowing there was no chance of winning.
And also, because reality was cruel, and miracles did not exist.
And so, they closed their eyes in pools of blood and were buried in the earth.
That was reality.
"Shit."
My lips dried up.
One wrong move, and it would end up just like that again.
The problem was...
'That I'm the one who caused this.'
This time, it wasn't the Heavenly Demon's or the Blood Calamity's fault.
It was because of the situation I had created.
'Son of a bitch.'
I forcefully suppressed the shitty feelings.
I needed to assess the situation before blaming myself. Right now, grasping the situation took priority over self-reproach.
'Find a way.'
And so, I desperately searched for one.
I made my barely-functioning brain spin as fast as possible.
[Aaaaaaaaah---!]
The bastard was still howling deafeningly.
Seeing it act like that with a body full of cracks, it almost looked like it was thrashing in desperation.
I tore my gaze away from it and looked up at the Demonic Gates.
However.
'...What's that?'
My eyes immediately narrowed.
Examining the Demonic Gates, I noticed something strange.
'There are lines inside.'
Inside the gaping Demonic Gates, I could see indistinguishable lines connecting.
What could those be?
The moment the question crossed my mind, I found the answer.
'It's the same as the pattern that floated in the sky.'
The crimson emblem that had appeared in the air before the creature showed up.
The lines inside the Demonic Gates looked exactly like the shape it took when it was completed.
I focused my observation and recalled.
'The Demonic Gates have appeared, but the demonic beasts haven't emerged yet.'
Was there a reason for that?
If there was a reason,
'It must be those lines.'
Perhaps once those lines fully connect, the demonic beasts will burst out. Such a thought crossed my mind.
Naturally, it wasn't a certainty. I lacked the information.
But.
'It's not like I have the luxury to be picky right now.'
Even if it was just an assumption, I had no time to hesitate.
Boom-!!
I stomped on the ground and enveloped my body in blue flames.
"Listen carefully."
I intended to add a word before launching myself forward.
Kill it if you don't want to die. I was about to say that, but paused.
What would be more effective than saying that...? Ah.
It came to mind.
It wasn't something I had the right to say, but there was one useful phrase.
"Now. We must kill that bastard now to save the people."
"...!"
"There won't be another chance."
The moment those words left my mouth, the atmosphere shifted.
Whether they were paralyzed by fear or steeped in despair, their eyes all shared the same look.
If I don't do it, someone dies.
I didn't know why they cared about something like that, but
To these fools, it was more important than their own lives.
The people gathered here were exactly that kind.
Probably.
"So."
Everyone except me, that is.
"We must kill that bastard, no matter what."
I spat out the words and launched myself forward.
[Aaaaaaaaah---!!]
The creature was still shrieking. I arrived in front of it in an instant.
Hwaruruk--!! The blue flames enveloping my body transferred to my hand.
Gu-yeom Tae-a-rang.
The compressed flames clung to my Heart Fist and exploded from the tip of my knuckles.
A strike with all my might behind it.
The blow was about to land, but...
[Kyaaaaah-!!]
The shrieking creature moved and evaded my technique.
Fwoooooosh--!!
The flames erupted, creating a massive blaze behind it.
I retracted my hand and immediately twisted my body.
Crunch-!
Claws dug into the ground.
This bastard was ridiculously fast.
I could see my clothes slightly torn.
I hadn't confirmed it, but it was obvious I had suffered a wound on my upper body.
However, I didn't care about such minor scratches.
I looked up.
'The lines.'
I checked the connecting lines in the Demonic Gates.
'Hmm.'
They were still connecting. It seemed making it move didn't stop the process.
That was quite unfortunate, but the saving grace was...
'It slowed down.'
The speed at which the lines connected had noticeably slowed.
Forcing it to move seemed to have some effect after all.
Which meant...
'The Demonic Gates and the creature's mind or power are connected. And simply using it doesn't mean the casting goes smoothly.'
Swish-!
I dodged its claws once more and continued my analysis.
'Is this its Authority?'
I swung my leg.
Boom-!!
[Kiek-!]
The energy barrier shattered against the tip of my foot.
Since I hadn't enveloped it in flames, the force was weak and the impact was shallow.
But it didn't matter.
Shwiririk-!!
Because I could feel a swarm of presences approaching from behind.
"Yahoo!!"
Along with a cheerful shout, a staff flew in.
Crunch-!
[Kuiek-!!]
A heavy assault pierced through the shattered barrier.
It struck the creature's upper body directly, sending debris flying.
Seeing the debris scatter, my face scrunched up.
'Too heterogeneous to be called skin.'
I analyzed every detail mid-combat.
It was enough to make my head ache.
"Hah!"
As if one strike wasn't enough, Bongsun tried to unleash a flurry of attacks with an ecstatic expression.
The energy barrier had already reformed. Even knowing that, Bongsun didn't stop her attack.
Did she believe it would work? No.
It wasn't faith in her own attack.
Shwiiiish--!!!
It was faith in what followed.
Crash-!!
A golden flash roared in, shattering the barrier once again.
A small gap was created. Bongsun didn't miss it.
"Hiyap!"
Smash-!!
[Kiaaa--!!]
The demonic beast took the barrage and thrashed in pain.
As it moved to counterattack, I immediately grabbed Bongsun and pulled her back.
A single swing.
Right after its claws sliced through the air.
"Hah!"
"We will join the fight!"
Several people appeared and threw themselves at the creature.
They all wore different clothes, and the inner qi flowing through them belonged to entirely different martial artists.
Their realms ranged from Peak to Perfected Peak.
If measured by their age, it could be considered high. However, they had no place intervening in this fight.
They surely must have known that themselves.
'Why are they jumping in?'
I couldn't understand.
Anyone with eyes could see that stepping in would easily get them killed.
'Is it a sense of justice or something?'
Why would they pointlessly pursue such a thing when there's no righteousness left in this rotten Central Plains.
It was truly laughable.
Clang-! Boom-!!
"Ugh!"
"Be careful...!!"
They struck the inside through the shattered barrier, delivering shock.
[Kiaaa--!!]
It screamed from the continuous impacts, but the damage was lower than before.
The creature spewed killing intent and swung its arms rapidly.
It was dangerous.
Left alone, they would all die.
But intervening would be a detriment. There was no safe way to save them.
I would inevitably take some damage.
It would be better to just abandon them in that case.
"Sigh, fuck."
My fucking body had already moved on its own.
I maximized my output and pushed my speed to the limit.
Fwoosh-!
Sparks erupted as I launched myself forward.
I quickly approached and reached out to the martial artists.
There were too many of them to grab directly. I used Void Grasping to pull them back.
"Gasp!"
Crunch-! The martial artists barely escaped, and right after, its claws struck the ground.
The creature's gaze then turned toward me.
An attack followed immediately.
'Damn it.'
Having just pushed out excessive speed, I felt the recoil.
It was too late to dodge. My shoulder was about to be ripped off, but...
Thwack-!
Crash-!!
[Kiririk!?]
"Hmm?"
Something flew in and struck its claws, blocking the attack.
Looking closely, it was an arrow.
An arrow in this situation?
My surprise at the random object was brief.
"...Duck."
At the following words, I instinctively ducked my head.
A blade grazed the spot where my head had just been.
Bzzzzzt---!!!!
[Kiaaaaaaa--!!]
A flash of light erupted.
The owner of the lightning qi, Namgung Bia, had stepped up to face the creature directly.
No, it wasn't just Namgung Bia.
"I'll take the right side."
"...Okay."
Along with the voice, a golden flash intertwined with the sharp lightning qi.
Wi Seol-a's sword danced alongside Namgung Bia's strikes.
Shring! Shwiiiish-!
Sword auras of different colors flowed gracefully through the air.
They seemed like they would collide, but narrowly bypassed each other.
Without interrupting each other's sword paths. And without losing any of their power.
Slash-!
Wi Seol-a's sword sliced through the energy barrier.
Since she could also wield Heart Sword, she was able to cut through the barrier.
A gap opened. The moment it opened, lightning qi pierced through.
Bzzzzzt---!!!
[Kiayayaya!!]
As the lightning-wrapped creature swung its arm, a staff flew in.
Thud-!!
Bongsun blocked the attack, and daggers flew in to cover the gaps.
Cutting off its attacks, sword strikes led by Heart Sword swept over it.
[Kyaaaaaaa---!!!]
Slash-! Slash-! Thump-!
The coordination of the four was near perfect. With no openings to exploit, even the other martial artists couldn't intervene.
"...Uh..."
That included me. Watching them, my mouth fell slightly open.
Why are they so good...?
I was dumbfounded.
I could somewhat understand the three since I'd known them for a long time. But what was up with Bongsun?
"Hiyahahahaha--!!!"
I don't know what was so exciting, but she swung her staff with a wide grin.
Yet, despite her lighthearted attitude, her strikes were devastatingly heavy.
Even though she hadn't reached the Heart Realm, she was deflecting the creature's attacks, wasn't she?
It was a truly overwhelming display of power.
Thanks to them, the creature couldn't get its bearings and was being pummeled relentlessly.
[Kiya...Kiyaaaak...!]
It was almost pitiful now. Seeing that, I raised my head.
I checked the Demonic Gates once more.
At that moment.
'...Shit.'
The lines were still connecting.
Even if it had slowed down, it seemed there wasn't much time left.
I had to wrap this up somehow.
Even if the creature was being pushed back right now, if we couldn't stop the Demonic Gates, it would all be over anyway.
Pound-!!
I forced power into my heart.
I rapidly circulated the loop and gathered qi throughout my entire body.
It was to form the Holy Spear.
A strike far larger and more powerful than usual.
To do so, I compressed a significant amount of inner qi.
'I'll tell Wi Seol-a to break the barrier, and then...'
Wasting power to break the barrier would be a loss.
I would ask Wi Seol-a to create the opening and deliver a clean blow with the Holy Spear.
Just as I made that judgment...
[Kiiii...!!]
Throb-!
"Huh?"
Suddenly, I felt a reaction from my heart.
The creature was being thoroughly pummeled. The sensation was coming from it.
This is... Could it be?
"Dodge-!"
"...!!!"
At my urgent shout, they all immediately disengaged from the creature and flew toward me.
At that moment.
[Kyaaaaaaa---!!!]
The creature's mouth tore open as it let out a grotesque shriek.
That wasn't all.
Whoooosh--!!
Light gathered within its torn mouth, and then...
Kuwaaaaaaa---!!!!
An immense energy erupted.
Seeing that, I threw my body forward.
The light poured down and swallowed my body.