Chapter 236 - Chapter 236 (1/2)

"T-the situation in Canada is still...."

The Hunter in charge of communication stuttered like a broken clock. Jin-Woo, feeling genuinely frustrated now, pulled out his smartphone, instead.

There was only one person who could give him the most accurate information as quickly as possible. Jin-Woo searched through his contact list before tapping on the contact number of the Special Agent in charge of the Hunter Bureau's Asia Branch, 'Adam White'.

With the current timing being what it was, he was briefly worried whether his call would get through or not, but then...

- "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!"

A really tense voice came out from the phone's speaker. There was no time to mouth a proper greeting, so he jumped straight to the main topic.

"Adam? Can you tell me what's happening with the super-massive Gate in Canada…."

It was then – he heard a loud cheering of "Waaaah-!!" coming out from the phone's speaker, as well.

Although it was a soft, almost inaudible background noise even his highly-developed hearing could barely catch, that was more than enough for him. Jin-Woo urgently asked over the phone, his expression harder than a stone now.

"Where are you right now??"

- "I'm at the location of Canada's super-massive Gate to provide support, alongside other agents."

"And why are you even there in the first place?!"

Jin-Woo's voice cracked up from agitation, and that caused Adam to reply in a surprised voice, quite obviously failing to hide his fluster.

- "We simply couldn't watch the events in Canada unfold as if it's unrelated to us…. Not just myself, but many other agents are currently assigned to deal with this matter, and..."

Adam White then added that his current location was quite a distance away from where the Canadian Hunters were, so if something bad were to happen, he should be able to escape relatively easily.

Hearing that explanation, Jin-Woo was suddenly overcome with sheer frustration that couldn't be described in words.

'The things I've warned everyone of....'

None of these people seemed to have understood the scale of the enemy just yet.

However, Adam still being unscathed could mean that his prediction was wrong. Jin-Woo collected himself and calmly asked his next question.

"What about the Gate...? Has there been any changes yet?"

- "No. It seems that the inside was empty, just like every other Gates. It's really quiet here in the location, actually."

What a relief that was.

Even after taking into consideration the world pointing their fingers of ridicule and blame at him for his warning being false, he could still breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fuu..."

His prediction seemed to be wrong.

But, then this happened.

- "Uh? Please hold."

After hearing Adam's voice that sounded uneasy for some reason, a creeping dread travelled down Jin-Woo's spine. Why did his ominous forebodings always have to come true?

Adam quickly explained the current situation.

- "Right now! Something is making its descent. Uh? Uh, uh? A person... A person is descending from the Gate!"

Jin-Woo's heart that regained its calm a few seconds ago began racing faster and faster again.

'Just one... person?'

All the hair on the back of his head stood up. Jin-Woo's voice rose up really high.

"The hair colour!"

Adam said that his current location was quite far away from the Hunters. In that case, it'd be impossible for him to see the creepy eyes of that non-human creature.

"What is the hair colour of that person??"

- "H-hang on...."

Adam's voice of borrowing special equipment from an agent nearby could be heard for a brief moment then.

- "Black and red colours are mixed together... It's reddish black."

Oh my god.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

"Adam! Run away from there, now!! Doesn't matter if it's a car, whatever, get on it, and escape from there right now!!"

- "Pardon me??"

Before Adam could ask what was going on here...

KWA-BOOOOOM-!!!!

A loud explosion so horrifying that its brutality could be heard even through the phone's speaker resounded out next.

- "Oh, dear lord!!"

Adam's voice had transformed into a scream now.

"ADAM!!"

As if he had regained his wits for a brief moment there from Jin-Woo's shout, Adam began muttering in a tearful voice.

- "H-Hunters....!! The top-ranked Hunters in the front row all got turned into charcoal in less than a second!! T-the flames burning on their bodies are still raging on!! Oh, my god!!"

"Adam! Adam, listen to me! It's going to be alright, so start running now! You gotta escape from there as soon as possible!"

Jin-Woo tried to calm Adam down, but unfortunately, the American agent seemed half-crazed by then.

- "Oh, Jesus...."

Even though he began sobbing softly, he still explained everything he could see and hear to Jin-Woo as if doing that was his final duty.

- "Dragons, Dragons from the sky…. Dragons and other monsters are pouring down endlessly from the Gate!! All sorts of monsters mixed in the horde!! Ah, ah, how could something like this even be....."

The emotions of sorrowful determination could be heard from his voice.

Jin-Woo couldn't just sit back and listen anymore; despite the risk, he connected his senses with the Shadow Soldier inserted into Adam's shadow.

When he did, he got to see the spectacle the American agent got to see, as well.

It was as if he was seeing the scenes of the apocalypse.

From the wide-open Gate, messengers of death and destruction were pouring out in droves, dyeing the heavens black. The skies and the ground were being rapidly filled up by horrifying monsters. The roars of beasts rocked the world, and the flying creatures and their powerfully-beating wings dominated the sky.

Hunters gathered here to fight against them had all been turned into ash even before the creatures landed on Earth from a single flick of the Sovereign of Destruction's hand, who had arrived before everyone else.

The remaining people were trying to run away in pure pandemonium, but unfortunately, their odds of escaping from there seemed pretty dismal at this point.

'Even still...'

He should be able to save one person... Adam White.

The High Orc Shadow Soldier currently being controlled by Jin-Woo reached out and grasped the wrist of the deeply-terrified Adam.

"U-uwaahk!"

He screamed out in fear after seeing that High Orc kitted out in black armour, but he soon saw the shadow of a familiar man within the eyes of this monster.

"S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim??"

There was no time to explain the situation. That could be done after he had been safely transported out of there. Still possessing the High Orc, Jin-Woo got ready to drag Adam White into the shadow below his feet, but then...

….Something approached them before anyone had noticed it and grabbed the shoulder of the High Orc real tightly.

Swiiish.

The High Orc looked back in a hurry and spotted a middle-aged man with a pair of bizarre reptilian eyes glaring in his direction.

[Where do you think you are going, oh, child of Shadow?]

The middle-aged man opened his mouth wide. A truly gob-smacking level of power suddenly began gathering inside his mouth, then.

Wordlessly, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to Adam.

At that moment, as if he had realised something just then, Adam White stared deeply at Jin-Woo – no, more correctly, the High Orc Jin-Woo was controlling.

"Hunter-nim, I...."

KWWUAAAAHHH-!!!

The Breath attack pouring out from the middle-aged man's mouth erased the Shadow Soldier completely out of existence.

"Keu-heuk!!"

Jin-Woo was beset with the sensation of his entire being set on fire and his body powerfully shuddered from the cruel pain.

He was connected to the High Orc with his mind only, so he could escape from there no problem, but it was a different story for Agent Adam White.

The American man's final moments Jin-Woo saw.....

Recalling Adam's eyes as he turned into scorched ash in the flames, Jin-Woo began gnashing his teeth in pure rage.