Chapter 87-89: Hashmal (1/2)

Chapter 87-89: Hashmal

“Master is stupid. Master is a jerk! Hiing…”

The dungeon’s 15th floor.

Yihi was sitting down and crying.

After being deprived of all rights, Yihi was only allowed to stay in one place. Her power was used to take care of the Tree of Origin. Yihi was sulking in this spot. She wanted to go to the original garden she created with the bees. But the circumstances meant she was afraid to move her feet.

“Bees…can’t die. Yihi has taken good care of them all this time. Give them snacks. It won’t be a lot of bother.”

Yihi was kneeling and praying with hands joined together.

Help the bees live! She asked deep in her heart but she had gained the displeasure of the Dungeon Master. She hated that more than the death of the bees. Therefore Yihi didn’t move during her ‘punishment.’

In the end, all Yihi could do was pray.

“Tree-nim. Tree of Origin. Please take good care of Yihi’s bees.”

She opened her eyes and glanced at the Tree of Origin. Big. The bud had already grown to 5 metres.

This was the first time Yihi had seen something as rare as the Tree of Origin. However, the vitality in it was more than she could imagine.

‘This tree can easily achieve Yihi’s wish.’

In fact, she knew she was just clutching at straws.

“By the way, what did Tree-nim eat to become so tall?”

Yihi blinked and asked.

Yihi had seen the Tree of Origin double its size in just one day. She praised the frightening growth. Naturally there wasn’t an answer.

Yihi grumpily puffed up her cheeks. And she closed her eyes again to pray.

Cheolbudok!

At that moment, a sound of something falling was heard. Yihi was deprived of all rights to the Dungeon Core so she couldn’t know if someone had broken in. Yihi turned her head and looked at the source of the sound.

“Eh…what? Angel?”

An angel with one wing cut off was face down on the ground. The body was such a wreck that even Yihi frowned.

“An angel shouldn’t be here…”

But the terrible appearance caused Yihi to press gently against the both sides of the temple.

Yihi was temporarily deprived of all rights so she didn’t even know the attack of the angels had started. The information of an ‘enemy attack’ never came to her. She didn’t have any freedom to act. Yihi could only move between here and the top floor. Thus she was ignorant about the situation.

An angel had suddenly appeared on the 15th floor so it was natural for her to panic. The definition of a good or evil fairy was ambiguous. There was a thin line between good and bad. Angel, demon, or human was all the same to a fairy. Of course, they were aware that they were subordinates to a demon. So it was difficult.

‘Why did an angel appear here?’

Usually intelligence would make they realize that the angel was an ‘enemy.’ But Yihi had completely different thoughts.

“Ah! Tree-nim sent it to me!”

Yihi looked back at the Tree of Origin. Yihi was convinced this was the answer to her pray to take care of the bees.

“But Tree of Origin-nim. Yihi doesn’t think it is good when looking at the state of the angel. Can it really take care of the bees?”

The angel was in a serious state. Just before death. He didn’t seem like he could take care of anything.

Yihi laid her hands on both sides of the temple and hummed ‘Umm~.’

“Right now Yihi can’t even buy a potion. Master has deprived Yihi of all rights. I can’t do anything to treat the angel~.”

She sighed with pity.

Yihi looked around to see if there were any other angels wandering nearby. At the same time, the angel’s eyes flashed open.

“Origin…summoned…heok!”

“Aish, you surprised me.”

Yihi hastily retreated a step from the surprise.

“What? If you are alive then you should say so. Did you want to surprise Yihi?”

The angel was badly injured but Yihi still spoke sarcastically. Whether she believed it or not, the dying angel continued talking until the end.

“Huge…warp…heok! Causality and destruction…decision…dispatched to Demon World…someone intervened…code changed…the source of the summoning was this…please…!”

“What is he saying?”

Yihi blinked.

She had no way of knowing what the angel was talking about. The source of the summoning.

Fairies were simple. They weren’t deliberately insolent. But the angel passed away after saying such cryptic words.

Yihi stared at the Tree of Origin and gave her honest feedback.

“Tree-nim. Tree of Origin. I think you sent me a crazy angel.”

***

It was evening.

The boring war of attrition ended and the full scale combat started. The smell of burning corpses filled the mountain. The destruction of the surrounding terrain was already absurd. It occurred over a few kilometres.

And…today the demons were slowly killing off the angels. There were a great number of advanced creatures.

“We will move back. Be careful not to get involved.”

I knew that today would be a short term battle. Lee Ji-hye asked me.

“It is evening so shouldn’t we help?”

She had realized yesterday that the angels were weakened in the evening. This was the moment when the angels most needed help.

But my decision was firm.

“We are not in a state to help them right now.”

Despite giving them hope and strength, the Awakened were at their limits. The Awakened had been tense for two days. They had been forced to fight for two days so the hidden fatigue would explode.

Lee Ji-hye also knew this fact. Lee Ji-hye bit her dry lips before stepping back.

There were just over 100 people remaining. And they started to escape from the centre of the battlefield. The demons and creatures showed no interest in the Awakened. They were busy focusing on Hashmal.

I backed away from the centre and waited.

The demons were starting to weaken. Hashmal was declining! They had been fighting for a few hours. There were shrieks as they desperately struggled…meanwhile, I mentally connected to M1 and M2 and gave them a command.

‘M1, M2. Stampede.’

A skill that dramatically increase physical abilities while decreasing the life span. Stampede (U)!

A red light burned in the eyes of the paused M1 and M2.

I knew Hashmal’s weakness. She was defined by her highly stubborn nature. Good was on one side of the line and evil on the other.

This nature was revealed in my previous life. That nature meant Hashmal would continue to fight the demons, even if it led to her death. If she wasn’t like this then the war against the demons would last for two more years. This meant…she forgot everything outside of the ‘enemy.’

I had planted the idea that M1 and M2 would only stay at the outer walls of the dungeon. After Hashmal and the angels stopped their attacks, M1 and M2 hadn’t moved. Would Hashmal be able to cope if such a presence moved unexpectedly?

“Falling! Get her!”

“The angel is tired and tonight I will obtain her head.”

Hashmal fell a little bit. The light of the holy power in her wings were dwindling. She couldn’t easily fly in the sky. She resisted but it was only a matter of time.

The demons had excited smiles on their faces. 5,000,000pt. It would make them stand superior to others. If they caught an angel then the demon would be reborn as a powerhouse in their faction.

Still, it wasn’t easy. Hashmal was a Dominions Angel and her standard of ‘exhaustion’ was different from common angels. She flew very low and put up a last ditch effort against the demons and creatures.

“Annoying bitch…!”

The demons clicked their tongues at her persistence. She still hadn’t completely fallen. Hashmal knew it would be more dangerous if she fell to the ground. There were all types of creatures waiting on the ground for her.

But, there was only one place. A cramped space away from the creatures. The place of the Awakened.

Hashmal’s eyes were conflicted as she tried to make a decision.

The cause of that was me.

‘Master of Lightning God. Maybe I was a demon.’

She might have noticed. There was no reason for her not to help the human Awakened. She could give them blessings or recovery. She didn’t do such a thing so there was only one corner left.

‘Come, greet me before you face death.’

Now Hashmal stood at the crossroads of choice.

Six wings. They contained a large amount of holy power and allowed her to fly. If Hashmal conserved the power by fighting on the ground then she could bring down more enemies. But she couldn’t come down to the ground if I was a demon.

It was confusing. A demon who used lightning attacks taking on the appearance of a human to help them. It was beyond expectations.

Hashmal couldn’t determine what I was. Hashmal had been in the air when she first noticed me.

But she hadn’t yet noticed…

Hashmal moved towards me and I quietly smiled.

“Captain-nim. The angel is coming here?”

Yoo Eun-hye trembled and made a fuss. Edward who was stuck like a gum behind her was also surprised. No, it was all of the Awakened who survived.

“Ah!”

Hashmal was almost on the ground when she was hit by a huge fireball. Yoo Eun-hye sighed with pity.

A sudden attack. Hashmal staggered and dropped.

I jumped into the air. And caught the falling Hashmal.

1 second was a very short amount of time. Hashmal’s gold eyes turned towards me. Her eyes were asking ‘are you a friend or enemy?’ but I just responded with a shallow smile. And Hashmal’s hard eyes relaxed a little bit.

“Captain-nim!” Please be careful!”

It was at that moment. Yoo Eun-hye shouted.

Chwack!

Chwaruruk!

M1 and M2 were stampeding through the creatures and were quickly approaching. When I purchased them at the Demon World Auction, they were just two square iron plates. The demons didn’t know of the existence of these two creatures. The physical abilities were comparable to a high class creature. None of the creatures here were their opponents after they used ‘Stampede.’

Hashmal was also at a loss. M1 and M2 had stayed at the dungeon’s outer walls so it was unexpected that they would appear here. That confusion occurred in the worst moment.

The two golems wearing silver armour raised their bastard swords.

‘Stab.’

Puok!

“Ah…!”

Hashmal’s death throes. I was also stabbed. My abdomen was stained with blood but I didn’t mind at all.

‘Cut.’

Followed by…M1 and M2 slicing of Hashmal’s wings. An angel’s wings were their source of strength. And defense. Hashmal was a Dominions Angel and her strength was very different. Her wings were capable of withstanding all types of attacks.

But there was a flood of attacks from the stampeding M1 and M2. Six wings. A total of three pairs of wings were cut off at once.

“Aaack!”

Hashmal lost consciousness in my arms from the shock.

Kkulleok!

Blood poured down.

It was a play I executed to hide but I wasn’t feeling so good.

“Captain-nim!”

Yoo Eun-hye, Lee Ji-hye and the other group members headed towards me. I raised my hand and restrained them.

“Leave the battlefield. The angels will soon be wiped out…I don’t know what direction the creatures will go. Retreat and prepare for attacks.”

There wasn’t a lot of creatures remaining. Around 3,000. M1, M2 and the creatures from my dungeon were a threat but there was no guarantee the demons would leave.

It was easy to see what would happen after the rest of the angels were hunted. The hungry demons would order their creatures to ravage the surrounding area. Preparations were needed.

South Korea was already in a miserable condition. They would be lost against an influx of foreign creatures. There would be a large number of deaths even if I sent Krasla. It would be an uphill battle to block them.

Flop!

Hashmal was knocked to the ground. Many demons and creatures desperately aimed for the fallen Hashmal but M1 and M2 easily blocked them. And the lich approached and placed Hashmal and I on his shoulder.

“Where are you taking Captain-nim?”

Fire burned in Yoo Eun-hye’s eyes as she ran forward with her lightning sword. However, the lich was very high among the advanced creatures. No matter how strong Yoo Eun-hye was, she wasn’t a match right now.

Peok!

The lich hit Yoo Eun-hye lightly in the stomach with her staff and she collapsed. Edward hastily moved and grabbed Yoo Eun-hye.

“Edward! Let go of me! We can’t let them leave with Captain-nim!”

Yoo Eun-hye twisted her body like a wild colt. But Lee Ji-hye and the other crew members forced her back. This was the last chance for them to escape. If they didn’t leave now, all of them would be annihilated. It was very unfortunate but…it was necessary to make levelheaded judgements.

The female angel leader had her wings torn off. The defeat of the angels was confirmed. Now the only thing left was to prepare for the aftermath quickly. Yoo Eun-hye wasn’t weak but there was nothing she could do alone. In the end, the Awakened quickly retreated.

The lich moved in the direction of the dungeon.

“Rotting lich! Give Hashmal to me!”

“You slippery bastard! Don’t snatch up our prey at the last minute!”

The demons weren’t just quietly watching.

The advanced golems supported the lich. In the meantime, the lich said.

“Remainder…angels…take care of them. Our Dungeon Master only wants Hashmal.”

At first, it seemed like the voice was hoarse due to screaming. The torn voice of the lich entered the ears of the demons. The lich became more powerful in a place filled with corpses.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

He waved his staff and used the ‘Corpse Explosion’ skill. The ground shook.

“Hunt all the angels…then get lost! Our Dungeon Master…you are not welcome in front of the dungeon.”

Dellat came charging out.

“I don’t know who the Dungeon Master here is but they just made a big mistake! Grand Duke Pandemonium will never tolerate this!”

“Kuhuhu…if you wage an all-out war…’we’ will not stand still. But…I don’t recommend it…”

An powerful and unknown mystery. The demons couldn’t move until they had investigated the Dungeon Master of South Korea.

If would be no good if they started a war between factions. It would just benefit the other two Grand Dukes. It hadn’t even been 3 years. The Grand Dukes couldn’t easily move unless it would give them an obvious advantage.

“This guy…!”

Marquis Dellat’s body trembled.

He had succeeded in hunting a Virtues Angel and earned 1 million points. However, he didn’t want to miss the big fish that was right in front of him.

He wanted to kill Hashmal as quickly as possible only for his prey to be yanked away. Hashmal’s stamina and holy power was reduced but the most important moment was the ‘last hit.’ An error in calculation.

The lich began to move. The golem escorted him and they succeeded in entering the dungeon.

I poured a potion on my wound immediately after entering the dungeon. Air bubbles rapidly occurred around the wound. I was dizzy for a moment from blood loss before the Heart of the Hell Monarch refilled it.

‘Troublesome.’

Tsk. I clicked my tongue.

This had been the best method to enter the dungeon without any suspicions. The dungeon would be monitored by the demons for a while. I needed a natural method to enter here.

“Congratulations on a successful return.”