The leaders of the opposition and ruling parties moved in a panic after hearing the information that had been passed to them in secret.
Most of the National Assembly members gathered in front of the Assembly.
The two looked at each other and quietly asked,
“Did that man Cha Gicheol call you too?”
“You too?”
They both nodded at the same time.
“Then the situation must be quite urgent.”
“Let’s get inside quickly. We have to stop it at once, don’t we?”
Weeeeeee.
The siren rang out immediately.
Martial law was being declared over the speakers.
“Hurry!”
All the assemblymen swiftly entered the National Assembly, where martial law had been declared.
And after them, the Association Chairman, the Capital Defense Command, and the guilds arrived in a line.
The Association Chairman ground his teeth when he saw the lights on in the National Assembly and the many people who had gone inside.
“Lee Gangyeol! When!?”
Light flashed in the sky.
A magic circle appeared in midair, and Lee Gangyeol emerged above it by teleportation.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lee Gangyeol looked down at the Association Chairman from the air.
“A long time ago. Since you were holed up in the Association.”
His quiet voice dominated the area.
Lee Gangyeol slowly descended, looking at the people gathering in ever greater numbers.
Hongik’s elite forces were assembling in perfect order.
At the same time, the Capital Defense Command was moving in on Hongik with self-propelled artillery, tanks, and armored vehicles.
The Association Chairman ground his teeth at their considerable speed.
Lee Gangyeol looked at him and warned,
“Withdraw.”
“Ha!”
Dudududung.
The moment the Association Chairman clicked his tongue, the sound of helicopters came from the sky.
Heavily armed helicopters were swarming in.
At the sound, the Association Chairman grew triumphant.
“Do you hear that? The scales have already tipped. So you’re the one who should get lost.”
The Association Chairman immediately jerked his chin and gave a look.
The guilds charged straight toward the National Assembly.
“Go! Get in there now!”
At that movement, Lee Gangyeol acted first.
“Inferno Wall.”
With a single gesture, a gigantic wall of lava surged up from the earth and struck around the National Assembly.
Everyone flinched before the barrier of lava and flame that had completely encircled it.
“Has all of Hongik gathered!?”
At Lee Gangyeol’s command, Hongik, which had somehow fully assembled, answered.
“Yes, sir!”
At the resounding shout, Lee Gangyeol smiled in satisfaction.
“Today, no one dies. Subdue them all.”
Grit.
The Association Chairman ground his teeth when he heard those words.
“Haha. Fine, go ahead and try.”
Lee Gangyeol declared once more.
“Just leave them alive.”
To the impossible mission, everyone responded in the same voice and tone.
“Yes, sir!”
At the identical shout, the Association Chairman stared in disbelief.
“Fine. Kill them all!”
His firm will was passed on to Hongik.
With the National Assembly between them, it became an all-out war.
Explosions and brawls broke out everywhere.
One side was thoroughly trying to kill, while the other was thoroughly trying to subdue.
It should clearly have been one-sided, but it wasn’t.
“Ghhh. You little—!”
The operations officer did not even summon a spirit.
He was simply pressuring the guild members with his bare hands.
“Now, watch your head!”
He hooked a leg and knocked one to the ground.
“Khup!”
Pow!
Then he struck him in the head and knocked him unconscious.
The operations officer exhaled and looked back.
“Damn it.”
There were too many of them.
Among the countless ordinary soldiers, Awakened were acting like thorns.
“What a pain.”
Bang, bang.
At the hail of bullets, Major Baek Seokhun hurriedly summoned a spirit.
“Sylph.”
Wind wrapped around the area in front of him.
The bullets were caught in it and flew into the air.
“Hey. We’re soldiers too.”
The operations officer stared hard at the soldier who had fired.
The soldier was trembling in fear at the impossible sight.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Shoot! What are you doing! I said shoot!”
But behind him, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appeared on the scene and shouted fiercely.
“You! Goddamn it! Shoot! You bastards!”
Baek Arin, who was at the scene with them, heard that shout.
“Wait?!”
Tatatatang!
But the bullets were fired.
The surroundings turned into chaos.
The bullets fired without distinguishing between allies and enemies struck everyone.
“Aaagh!”
“Aaah!”
“My leg!”
Even so, the gunfire did not stop.
A tank even began aiming at the middle of the melee.
Watching that sight, Shin Hyeok hurriedly stepped forward.
“Move!”
He immediately broke through the enemy lines, reached the front of the tank, and melted it down.
‘Transmutation!’
Starting from the tank’s barrel, it melted away.
Everyone was rendered speechless by the overwhelming sight.
“P-protect the tank! Everyone, aim for him!”
Shin Hyeok immediately turned his eyes and checked the threatening tactical equipment.
“There.”
Another tank was taking aim.
Seeing this, Hong Ichan removed the necklace he held at his neck.
“It’s a demon! A monster has appeared!”
Hong Ichan regained his true appearance and looked at everyone.
Lee Gangyeol briefly gazed at him now that he had returned to his original form.
Meeting his eyes, Hong Ichan smiled sheepishly.
“Everyone, be careful. I’m going to go wild too.”
Ichan raised his head and looked at the moonlight pouring down.
“Father…”
He opened the necklace and touched the World Tree seed he carried.
His eyes turned as transparent as the night sky.
Wraiths, packed densely like stars in the heavens, erupted forth.
Swaaaaaa.
Wraiths poured out like a waterfall.
The surroundings were covered in wraiths.
“Kiiiiiiiiiek!”
The curses, resentment, and screams the wraiths emitted made the area unbearably noisy.
Ghostly wails filled the entire place.
In the field that had become a haunted house, the only ones unharmed were Hongik and a few Awakened.
Ichan calmly flashed a V sign.
“He’s no joke.”
“Ichan, good job! And you’re handsome!”
“Our Ichan is awesome!”
The members of Hongik praised Ichan.
Ichan smiled sheepishly and squared his shoulders.
Baek Arin also raised her thumb and praised Ichan for the first time in a while.
Seeing the wounded filling the area around her, she spread both hands instead of drawing her sword.
“Whooo.”
She recalled the advice the priest had given her before coming here.
“Plead.”
[Status Window]
Name: Baek Arin (LV.35)
Class: Hero (Apostle of Auzar)
Strength: 428
Agility: 357
Stamina: 513
Holy Power: 677
Trait: Hardworking Genius
She believed in the class clearly engraved in her status window and in the title of “Apostle.”
‘Priest, please help me…’
When she closed her eyes briefly and pleaded as if in prayer, her body began to tingle.
At the same time, she heard the voice of someone familiar.
‘Well done. This is how you do it.’
With someone’s praise, she opened her eyes, and a golden, shimmering sun rose in the sky.
A benevolent light was warmly shining upon everyone.
The wounded were being healed.
“Wow. What is that?”
The members of Hongik lost their words as they looked at Baek Arin, who was displaying an overwhelming sight.
“Is she a saintess?”
Arin looked at the golden sun floating above.
“D-did I do that?”
“You did great, Arin. Everyone survived!”
Those who had been rolling on the ground after being shot stopped groaning and wore peaceful expressions.
Arin saw Shin Hyeok, who had returned at some point.
“Wow… Mister, you’re amazing.”
All the tanks around them had disappeared.
No, they had flowed down onto the ground like slime.
“The battalion commander already cleaned up above too.”
Looking up, the armed helicopters were gone as well.
It had been handled very cleanly.
Soon after, someone came out of the National Assembly and shouted,
“The declaration of martial law has been lifted! Someone please tell them! Martial law has been lifted! Stop at once!”
Lee Gangyeol nodded and looked at the Association Chairman, who was glaring at him with intense eyes.
“The blood spilled here is because of you… you bastard. If it weren’t for you!”
The Association Chairman immediately took a black demonic sword from subspace and charged.
“Shield.”
At Lee Gangyeol’s gesture, layered shields blocked the Association Chairman’s path.
Kwakakang!
But the Association Chairman broke through all of them and arrived before Lee Gangyeol.
The sharp sword stopped in front of Lee Gangyeol’s neck.
The final shield was stopping the sword’s advance.
“Still blunt. Compared to your ability, your swordsmanship is shabby.”
“That’s not for you to judge.”
The Association Chairman glared at Lee Gangyeol, then looked over his shoulder.
The one with an indifferent expression.
The one who resembled the peerless hero Bu Chanyong to a maddening degree.
Bu Shinhyeok.
He was extremely irritating.
Because he knew who was behind all of this.
“If it weren’t for that bastard!”
Lee Gangyeol clenched his fist tightly.
“You were destined to end up like this anyway.”
His fist shimmered red.
“Inferno Explosion.”
The two overlapping spells perfectly melted into his fist.
“Clench your teeth.”
Kwaang!
The Association Chairman was struck by the magic-laden fist and sent flying.
Lava burst out, melting the surroundings.
Lee Gangyeol pulled down the zipper of his top and threw off the bothersome clothing.
Loosening up, he walked in the direction the Association Chairman had been sent flying.
At that sight, the battalion members subtly moved away. The battalion commander followed the Association Chairman, who had rolled across the ground, and said,
“Show me. Let’s see the skill of a bastard who sided with a demon.”
The Association Chairman planted his sword on the ground and stood up.
“Kraaaagh!”
With a rough scream, he gripped his sword and shouted,
“Dark Strike!”
Eighth Circle black magic imbued his sword.
Dense black magic that pressed down heavily and disintegrated took effect.
The Association Chairman swung his sword left and right and glared at him.
“You really are similar. Chanyong was always like that too.”
At Lee Gangyeol’s jeer, the Association Chairman furrowed his brows.
“Let me ask you one thing. You had no hope beyond the Fourth Circle, and your potential in swordsmanship barely reached first-rate.”
At that judgment that thoroughly belittled him, the Association Chairman gripped his sword tightly.
“How did you surpass that in an instant? And after coming out of there, no less.”
The Association Chairman thought of the gate where Bu Chanyong had died and sneered.
“If you’re that curious, ask Paimon yourself.”
Pat.
He kicked off the ground and charged at Lee Gangyeol.
“Die!”
Watching him rush in, Lee Gangyeol raised his fist indifferently.
“Breath.”
Fearsome mana condensed.
Soon, it distorted the surroundings and collapsed space.
The breath of a yellow dragon that had arrived right before him touched him.
“Khrrk, f*ck!”
Kwaaaaang!
Lee Gangyeol shook out his fist and checked ahead.
“Are you alive?”
Looking forward, something was wriggling.
A woman appeared beside the writhing Association Chairman.
Dressed in a black suit, she checked on the Association Chairman with quiet, leisurely steps.
Burned and distorted all over, the Association Chairman barely looked at her with only his eyes.
“Association Chairman. Are you going to let it end like this? You still haven’t paid the price.”
His secretary, Arisa, lifted the Association Chairman into her arms.
“Put him down.”
Lee Gangyeol stared at her.
He pressured her while emitting an intense aura.
The powerful aura of a dragon took control of the surroundings, but she did not care in the slightest.
“What a mess. If Lord Paimon saw this, he would snort. Seeing you unable to handle even one inferior civilization like this, I mean.”
Black cloth wings spread behind her back.
“Are you that demon’s lackey?”
At Lee Gangyeol’s question, she answered with a smile.
“You know full well.”
She spread her wings and fled just like that.
“You’re not getting away!”
When Lee Gangyeol spread both hands, the area around him filled with red, shimmering spears.
“Will you have the time to deal with me?”
She laughed, spun once in midair, and glided.
Then blackish-red crystals fell in a shower.
Every crystal that fell distorted space and created gates.
“You’ve been bored all this time, haven’t you? I’ll make things serious from now on.”
With a bright smile, she looked at Shin Hyeok, who was standing behind Lee Gangyeol.
“Especially you. You’re quite an eyesore. And the two on either side as well.”
At the ominous remark, Lee Gangyeol hurriedly turned back and shouted,
“Run!”
She smiled and reached out her hand.
“Go somewhere far away and rest for a while.”
Gates appeared beneath the feet of Shin Hyeok, Arin, and Ichan.
“Damn it!”
“Shin Hyeok!”
In an instant, the gates closed, and the three disappeared from the spot.
She snapped her fingers.
“Now, let’s really get started!”
Pachuchuchuchut!
Gates appeared everywhere the eye could see.
They immediately began connecting to Earth.
The system warned everyone.
[The Apocalypse evolves by one stage.]
[From now on, all gates will immediately synchronize with Earth.]
[Large-scale gate breaks and fieldization will occur.]
[All Earthlings, find a safe place and evacuate immediately.]
Monsters no longer remained inside the gates.
Seeing this, Lee Gangyeol called someone.
“Elysia. Bloom.”
Behind his back, subspace shimmered and reflected a workshop.
From within it, a High Elf wearing a straw hat appeared in a radiant dress.
“Is it finally my turn?”
Lee Gangyeol nodded.
“Then, my little ones. It’s time for you to put in some effort.”
When she waved her hand, countless subspaces opened.
From within them, all kinds of monsters burst out and leaped toward the beings pouring in from the gates.
“My God…”