Chapter 63 (1/2)
The day of the Sovereign Mission.
The whole world was focused on Marronnier Park. Facts about the Sovereign Mission had already been widely spread. Observing the park, outside the civilian restricted area set up by the military, were curious colonizers and scouts from each sovereign.
What would they do if Choi Hyuk succeeded his mission? Be wary of him? Ally with him? Ignore him? What kind of change would occur in their forces? Colonizers were alert with their sharp senses, keeping each other in check.
Amongst them, there was Richard who was known as the ‘Sovereign of Balance’. Other colonizers would chatter amongst each other when they coincidentally sighted him.
“The Sovereign of Balance? The Sovereign of Balance personally came here?”
Everyone couldn’t help but become surprised at Richard’s, a distinguished sovereign’s, appearance.
“It’s a bit… embarra.s.sing. Other places sent their followers here while our sovereign personally moved.”
Richard’s aide, Leah, mumbled. Richard, who was a clean, bearded middle-aged man, gave an easygoing smile.
“You already know. The reason why I’m like this.”
“I know. He’s an important figure. Someone who Richard personally needs to check.”
“Right.”
Richard leisurely smiled and turned to look at Choi Hyuk who stood at the head of the Berserkers.
“So what’s the verdict?”
Leah’s eyes s.h.i.+ned, seemingly curious. She asked in a slightly lower voice,
“Do we kill him? Or let him live?”
However, Richard didn’t look at Leah, only staring at Choi Hyuk.
“Amazing.”
This was his reply after a long silence.
Giant letters appeared above the opaque dome which covered the entire Seongbuk District.
<searching dimensions.=”” wait=”” 10=”” minutes.=””>
These words that were updated in real-time were slowly counting down and soon, the mission was announced.
______
{Sovereign Mission}
Dimensional transmission in progress. Starting now, partic.i.p.ants of the mission may enter the dimensionally isolated area. You will only obtain the code after annihilating the pursuing monsters. Once you activate the code, dimensional isolation will be released. If you fail, the dimension will explode.
_______
Choi Hyuk, who had finished reading the mission briefing, nodded his head.
“So, basically, I just need to annihilate them?”
Then, there was no need to waste any more time.
“Enter! Wipe them out!”
At his command, 12,000 Berserkers leaped into the opaque wall at once.
The Berserkers moved in troops. Troops of a thousand Berserkers moved systematically as they alternated between infiltration, attack, and support. With cognitive abilities beyond that of humans’, they comprehended the situation and communicated with each other. Charging without the slightest hesitation was the base of the Berserkers’ tactics. However-
“What the- Why are you stopping?”
The moment they pa.s.sed through the dimensionally isolated wall and stepped into Seongbuk District, the Berserkers unknowingly stopped. Those who jumped in after and hit the person in front of them grumbled, but they stopped in their place as well.
The scene in front of them was simply shocking.
“… It’s not Earth?”
This place wasn’t Seongbuk District. No, it didn’t seem like it was Earth at all.
Their first impression of the place was that it resembled more of a garbage landfill than a ruin. Countless broken machines were p
iled up into a mountain.
“Wh-what do we do?”
The Berserkers, who originated from Seongbuk District, were even more shocked. They vividly remembered escaping this place two years ago, yet, no matter how they looked at it, there were no similarities between Seongbuk District and this place.
Although they did felt it was strange that the opaque wall was called the ‘dimensionally isolated wall’… They never thought that it was a completely different dimension. Then where did Seongbuk District go?
While a quiet confusion took hold of the Berserkers, Choi Hyuk silently clipped up the mountain of broken machines. He had already activated Mind’s Eye to its greatest potential. His whole body was emitting a blue hue. He was calm. From the beginning, whether this place was Earth or not was outside his concerns. He was only interested in what kind of monsters were here.
The edges of his senses felt a savage power. He ran up to the summit and searched for the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds that were shaking his senses.
No, he didn’t need to look for them. He could see clearly see them.
At a glance, they looked like humans. One head and a pair of arms and legs. However, their waists were long like ferrets, and they had long, sharp claws. They were approximately triple the size of a human. Their heads were long on both ends, and fangs filled their large, open mouths. White, long tissue, that looked to be either a bandage or their flesh, covered their eyes. The moment Choi Hyuk’s eyes landed on them, the name ‘eyeless observers’ came to mind. He didn’t know why, but it seemed that this was the name of these monsters he was seeing for the first time.
The eyeless observers surrounded a white building that looked to be a fortress, and crooks, mountain orcs, bladed starving ghosts, and other monsters he had seen plenty of in Kangdong District were surrounding them like clouds as if escorting them.
When Choi Hyuk spotted them, they too spotted him.
{Keeeeh!}
Amongst the eyeless observers, the largest one with the most savage karma roared in Choi Hyuk’s direction. The air reverberated.
{Kueeeehhh!!}
As if stimulated by its roar, hundreds of thousands of monsters cried out at the same time. A few hundred thousand pairs of eyes all looked towards Choi Hyuk.
Rumble!
Hundreds of thousands of monsters ran on the ground. The vibrations even reached where Choi Hyuk was standing, and mountains of broken devices trembled as some rolled down.
The monsters dashed forward. And Choi Hyuk’s eyes fixated on the ‘Flaming Devil’ instead of the ‘eyeless observers’ that were controlling the monsters. The monster that caused his mother to die, the Flaming Devil. It was a ‘Wyvern of Destruction’ level monster in Seongbuk District.
‘Let’s see.’
It had a horn and a tail. The Flaming Devil had flames akin to a lion’s mane beginning from its horn. Whether looking at its appearance or spirit, it was the Flaming Devil. A fierce smile hung on Choi Hyuk’s lips.
Screech! Clank!
Karma filled the Predator’s Blade like a storm. The body of the Predator’s Blade distorted intensely as it was unsheathed. An ear-piercing metallic sound resounded as the sheath and the blade, both filled with karma, slid against each other.
It was Choi Hyuk’s unique battle cry that initiated combat. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a cry, but rather the grandiose sound of him unsheathing his sword… Either way, the Berserkers knew the meaning behind this sound better than anyone.
“Woaah!!”
The battle cry of the Berserkers followed behind Choi Hyuk’s.
“Let’s go.”
There was no need for detailed tactical commands for the Berserkers. Each troop chose their target and judged where to evade, and if a larger scale cooperation was needed, they would follow the tactics of the captain-ranked troops. If an even greater strength was needed, they would follow the tactics of the director-ranked troops.
Because Berserkers used actions rather than words to command, the commanders always took the lead. Only those who won tens of these crazy battles were divided into the elites and top elites, and they could become captains and directors.
The Berserkers stepped on the broken machines and began their charge. Questions about where this place was or where Seongbuk District went had already been clearly wiped from their minds.
Only thoughts of fighting remained.
{Kiiiieek!}
Crunch!
The moment the Berserkers dived between the monsters, black blood began to fall like heavy rain. It was the Berserker’s one-sided slaughter. The results were obvious considering the Berserkers possessed 2, 3-star stats while the monsters normally had 1-star stats and mid-bosses had 2-star stats, same as before.
Choi Hyuk was forging a highway between the monsters. Only slas.h.i.+ng sideways. Left to right, right to left, he didn’t need any technique. He simply extended his Karma Blade and, like a car winds.h.i.+eld wiper wiping away raindrops, he erased the monsters. Choi Hyuk’s speed was too fast for the monsters to react.
He only thought of one thing as he ran.
‘Flaming Devil… How should I kill it?’
In his heart, he wanted to first start by ripping it apart. However, if he ripped it apart, wouldn’t it simply die like that? It was quite the dilemma.
Also, when the Flaming Devil saw Choi Hyuk running crazily towards him, it revealed its flaming fangs and-
Started to run away.
‘Huh?’
Choi Hyuk was momentarily stunned to the point of forgetting to run. A monster fled? Monsters normally considered intelligent beings as being their absolute enemies and showed endless hostility towards them. A monster like that fled? Before fighting? He had never imagined something like this.
‘A monster? Fled?’
That moment, the counterattack of the monsters began.
“Huh?”
A Berserker, who was charging vigorously, suddenly blankly turned around. This was unbelievable. No matter how outstanding their skills were, they couldn’t drop their guard for even 0.1 seconds when fighting against monsters. But for him to blankly turn around during a battle?
Screech!