Chapter 32 (1/2)
Episode 2: Exodus / Chapter 32: The King without Subjects
TL: emptycube
Edited: emptycube
“What? Just what happened?”
“Just shut up and follow. We’re all f.u.c.ked.”
“Jung Minji died? Why?”
“Ah geez…!”
“I mean it doesn’t make sense.”
“Haa… Song Simin betrayed her.”
“Song Simin? But, what about her guards? He went pa.s.sed them?”
“Yoon Girim backstabbed her.”
“Yoon Girim?!”
“Ah geez…! Don’t talk so loud. Can’t you read the mood?”
“… But how does that make sense? Why would Yoon Girim? No, is that even possible? Jung Minji’s Endurance was pierced?”
“Yoon Girim’s always around Song Simin these days. She probably reached 1-star and Jung Minji’s Endurance probably didn’t hit 2-star yet… With stat buffs from items, do you think she won’t be able to pierce that? You can’t even endure D rank (2-star) weapons with 1-star Endurance.”
“But still… What about her Recovery stat?”
“She specifically cut her throat. Blood was gus.h.i.+ng out. The speed of her brain shutting down was probably faster than her recovery.”
“… f.u.c.k…”
“It’s not like it’s a game… If your vitals are pierced, no matter how strong you are, you’re dead. Because Jung Minji knew that, she always brought guards with her… Chu Youngjin going to the suicide squad probably had a lot to do with it. If it was Chu Youngjin, he wouldn’t have taken his eyes away even if it was Yoon Girim.”
“f.u.c.k… Her death was so sudden.”
“Shut up and get your mind straight. We don’t have the escape code anymore. That was granted to those with the symbols of the kings.”
“Ah, right!”
“That’s why, let’s quickly follow them!”
“You… Don’t tell me you’re going to stick to Song Simin?”
“It’s f.u.c.ked upbut what can I do? Other troops are full and I don’t know any of them. Song Simin is probably the best choice.”
“Ha… still.”
“Hey! Geez! If you’re going to be like that, why don’t you just go to Kang Dongsoo!”
“… f.u.c.k…”
With Jung Minji’s death, 5,000 people had lost the escape code. Jung Minji’s former followers had no choice but to defect to other troops and around 3,000 followed Song Simin. People he had secretly planted beforehand had persuaded others. From the start, the majority didn’t know what exactly happened and those who did justified themselves.
“I gave you a chance. Didn’t I tell you? That she wouldn’t listen to the whole ‘half of the district’ s.h.i.+t.”
Song Simin said while looking at the Student King Min Kyungchul.
Min Kyungchul bitterly nodded his head.
“… Yeah.”
Jung Minji’s troops dispersed and many groups followed Song Simin’s lead and broke away from the war.
This scene made other forces fall into a state of confusion.
“What the? What’s happening in the front? Did something happen to the Crazy Knight King?”
“Was it an ambush? Monsters? There’s a hole in the spearhead!”
To the forces who were behind them, it looked like the spearhead was ambushed and had become chaotic.
Just then, hordes of monsters appeared. Few tens of thousands. This many wasn’t a big deal but with the chaotic spearhead, the hordes of monsters seemed larger and more overwhelming. They believed that what they saw wasn’t everything.
The solders fell into a state of fear. Their karma was almost spent, the ranks were disordered and their spirits had hit rock bottom.
A frightened army was no army. Just like the times when a few hundred soldiers armed with cannons and guns defeats an army of tens of thousands with melee weapons.
Even if they considered that the fact they became stronger over the past 30 days, they were still ordinary civilians who had never killed not too long ago. They weren’t able to calm themselves after becoming panicked. They just couldn’t muster up the courage to fight.
Commanders were also unable to understand the situation.
“d.a.m.n… just what the h.e.l.l happened? Just what happened for them to be routed? s.h.i.+t… if we take a wrong step, we’ll all die. Let’s retreat!”
The Alliance of Comrades in Arms were the quickest to come to a decision. Once they decided to retreat, other forces started to follow suit. A long line of groups started their retreat.
“No! If we retreat, what happens to the suicide squad?!”
Bae Jinman proposed they help the suicide squad, however, the forces under his command refused.
“Right now, we need worry about ourselves. Other troops are leaving. We can’t be the only ones who go back!”
The group of humans couldn’t come back after falling into a state of confusion. Like flames, chaos bred more chaos. There wasn’t even a chance to do anything. It all happened in an instant.
‘How did it become like this so suddenly?’
Even among Bae Jinman’s troops, there were some who fled from the ranks. They had already obtained the escape code. They didn’t fear becoming outcasts. If people fled, others would flee as well. Kangdong District was already bustling with monsters. Ma.s.s panic spread rapidly.
However, Bae Jinman didn’t give up. It was his personality.
“We still need to go back! I’ll even go back by myself!”
“I’m sorry.”
The person who directed Bae Jinman’s guards crammed Bae Jinman under his armpit. Bae Jinman, who had lost all his strength after Karma Grant, couldn’t resist.
“Retreat!!”
Eventually, even Bae Jinman’s troops retreated. If they properly understood what was going on, they would have gone to the suicide squad… but the situation had progressed so ridiculously.
The support battalion who pushed back the surrounding monsters, the support troops who shot the Extraordinary Dragon Cannons and the suicide squad all fell into state of confusion. As the main army retreated, more and more monsters gathered nearby. Of course, they didn’t know why.
“Block them! If the monsters reach the support troops, we’re done!”
The distinction between troops began to fade.
It was a free-for-all. The support troops started to shoot cannonb.a.l.l.s at the oncoming monsters and not the wyvern. Even some suicide squad members turned around to block the monsters.
“f.u.c.k! We have to retreat! Call the King without Subjects!”
“He won’t listen! That b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s done for!”
There were even some troops who left Choi Hyuk who was fighting the Wyvern of Destruction behind and retreated.
“Hey! What the f.u.c.k! You can’t leave in the middle of a fight! What about the King without Subjects?!”
“I called him but what can I do if he doesn’t listen?”
“Let him be! He said he’ll hold the wyvern back!”
Among the suicide squad, a portion stood next to Choi Hyuk until the end and another portion, due to them holding the wyvern back, hurriedly retreated.
It was utter chaos, however, that didn’t affect Choi Hyuk as he became more immersed into the fight.
‘If I want to create an opportunity to attack, I need to move one step faster.’
Just as he thought this, Choi Hyuk discovered a new method. He tossed away his method of using karma like muscles. He shot a string of karma at a target and contracted it like a rubber band.
[After endless consideration, you have realized a new way to use karma. Retribution Points increased by 10.]
Choi Hyuk didn’t even read the message.
Swoos.h.!.+
Following the contracting karma, his body shot forward and his vision instantly s.h.i.+fted. His body was so fast that it left afterimages.
Cras.h.!.+
The wyvern’s foot stomped down too late. Choi Hyuk sliced into the wyvern’s ankle.
‘I need to be faster.’
This time, Choi Hyuk elongated all the karma in his body and coiled it up. The coiled karma circulated his body.
[After endless consideration, you have realized a new way to use karma. Retribution Points increased by 30.]
Swoos.h.!.+
The coiled karma gathered below his feet and, like a spring, bounced Choi Hyuk high up into the air.
Swis.h.!.+
He released karma around the Predator’s Blade and formed a blade of karma.
His 3-star Control stat let him freely manipulate karma. Choi Hyuk’s movements slowly broke past his physical limits.
He wasn’t an existence who moved with his arms and legs anymore and had became one who moved with karma. Karma wasn’t supporting his body anymore, instead, his body was supporting his karma. The karma in his body continuously changed its form.
At some point, Choi Hyuk had forgotten the world. His eyes didn’t see the escaping suicide squad members nor the ones who staked their lives to fight the monsters. His ears didn’t hear the shouts of Baek Seoin. Choi Hyuk had completely erased everything besides himself and the Wyvern of Destruction.
Pabapak!
Boom!
Zip!
Choi Hyuk’s movements kept getting quicker. Just when you thought he jumped up into the air, he was already on the ground and when you thought he slashed the wyvern’s left ankle, he was already hanging onto its right thigh.
Batatak! Bam!
Chiiiiii!
The wyvern’s black blood continuously dropped onto the ground. It was a black rain.
However, the wyvern’s stamina and recovery abilities were incredible so the rate it was wounded and the rate it healed were similar.
[Kuaalaalaalaa!]
The Wyvern of Destruction blew flames and Choi Hyuk actually headed into the flames. The fog-like karma that was released from the Predator’s Blade protected him from the flames.
Puah!
Choi Hyuk pierced through the flames and had jumped up to the wyvern’s head which was lowered to blow flames. He stabbed its eye with a transparent blade made of karma.
[Keahhhhhh!]
A frightening cry. Blue flames surged out of its wounded eye. Choi Hyuk who had been shaken of by the wyvern’s shaking head landed on the ground and immediate drank a Karma Recovery Potion. The karma that had become heavy and sluggish became taut once more.
Just like how Choi Hyuk’s eyes only saw the Wyvern of Destruction, the wyvern only concentrated on Choi Hyuk. It vented its rage and resentment. The moment Choi Hyuk was. .h.i.t, the fight would end but Choi Hyuk wouldn’t give it the chance.
Black rain continued to fall. The asphalt dissolved and the dirt beneath melted into gla.s.s.
How many hours or days they fought, Choi Hyuk had forgotten everything.
The more he fought, the more he admired the wyvern’s strength. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d didn’t fall. The wounds he inflicted had all healed. Its attacks were so swift and precise that his hair would stand on end even as he dodged it.
So Choi Hyuk realized his own strength. His strength that was able to go toe to toe with the wyvern.
A fierce joy wrapped his body. For a fight be this exciting.
Choi Hyuk fully demonstrated his abilities. He found new ways to fight as he fought. He developed and utilized better methods of manipulating karma in real time.